Master of Darkness
by Z98
Summary: With the destruction of the Worldstone, the forces of Hell begin to creep upon humanity. However, the slayer of the Prime Evils tries to stop all this.
1. The Rogue Monastery

Master of Darkness  
  
Chapter 1: The Rogue Monastery  
  
The man was walking through the forest on his way to the Rogue Monastery. Suddenly he heard the sound of battle and drew his sword. He quickly approached the battlefield and peered out from behind the trees. Dozens of goatmen were attacking an assassin from all sides. The clearing was covered with the body of dead goatmen but more and more poured out. The assassin moved quickly and gracefully, slashing through and cutting down any goatman that got close to her. Suddenly two magic arrows struck her from behind and she tripped. She quickly got back onto her feet and killed two more approaching her, but another arrow struck her. The man quickly located the archers. He also had a bow and raised it. He took aim and fired three arrows of mana and killed the archers. The other goatmen looked at him in surprise and this gave the assassin enough time to strike down several more. The man shouldered his bow and charged out with his sword. He moved like lightning, severing several heads in one clean swing. Several other goatmen approached him nervously, not daring to attack. He took the opportunity and white light blazed from his hand, incinerating the goatmen that stood before him. The assassin finished off a few more before the others all retreated. She started to chase but the man stepped to her side and grabbed her arm, stopping her.  
  
"They have an ambush prepared," he said, "I don't think even you would survive."  
  
She shook off his hand and glared at him. The man simply turned away and started walking again. He wiped his sword on some leaves and sheathed it.  
  
"I suggest you clean your weapons as well," he said, "The blood of goatmen can corrode even the strongest steel, and I doubt your weapons are that fine. I'm sure you know that, however."  
  
The assassin gave him a curious look this time and wiped the blood off of her Katars with some large leaves. The man left the clearing and continued on his way towards the monastery. He wasn't surprised to hear the assassin following him, though she was doing a rather good job staying quiet. He smiled to himself. If the assassin wanted to follow him, he might as well give her some challenge. He broke out into a run and dashed through the forest. The assassin kept up with him, though she stayed back. After thirty minutes of running, the two arrived at the monastery, though the assassin still hung back. The man walked out of the forest to let the Rogues on guard see who it was. The doors opened and Falvie appeared.  
  
"It has been a long time," she said.  
  
"Indeed. Though I only passed through a few weeks ago," he replied with a grin.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"There's an assassin following me. She might want to come in too."  
  
"Attracting more women?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"I intervened in a little skirmish she had with some goatmen," the man answered.  
  
"Goatmen," Falvie said with a sneer, "We had hoped that such things would disappear with the destruction of the Prime Evils."  
  
"Unfortunately the Worldstone was also destroyed," the man reminded her, "but don't worry. I'm sure they won't be such a great threat to you and your sisters."  
  
Falvie smiled and nodded at the man as he walked in. The assassin also came out of the forest and Falvie waited for her to go in before closing the door. Dozens of Rogues were in the monastery, glancing at the man and the assassin. Suddenly Kashya appeared and greeted the man.  
  
"My friend," she said, "I had thought perhaps you had fallen prey to the many demons outside."  
  
"Hardly," the man replied, "It is they who fell prey to me."  
  
"Who is the assassin with you?" Kashya asked.  
  
"You might ask her yourself. She didn't give me a name."  
  
A few other Rogues had appeared and greeted the man. The assassin wasn't exactly what to make of all this. Just then she sensed a mage behind her. She turned around and found an old woman standing behind her.  
  
"I am Akara, High Priestess of the Sisterhood," she said, "What brings you to our monastery?"  
  
"Him," the assassin motioned, "I was attacked by goatmen and he helped me. Who is he?"  
  
"You may not have heard of his real name," said Akara, "but you might know him as the Hand of Light."  
  
The assassin gasped. The man that had saved him was the man that had slain the three Prime Evils, as well as the Lesser Evils.  
  
"He is the Hand of Light?" she said in wonder, "but why is he here?"  
  
"He does not tell us why he comes or goes," said Akara, "though I hear he has traveled around a lot. He appeared by a portal several weeks ago and went into the wilderness, for reason that none of us know. But it is good to see that he survived."  
  
The assassin nodded. "Perhaps I should thank him."  
  
"That is the least you could do," said Akara, "Do you wish me to introduce the two of you?"  
  
"No thank you. I will be fine by myself."  
  
"As you wish child."  
  
Akara seemed to disappear and the assassin approached the man. The legendary Hand of Light, the man that had the confidence and support of the Archangel Tyrael. The man had gone down to Hell and killed Diablo, defeated the corrupted council of the Zakarum and slew Mephisto, and finally confronted Baal in the Worldstone Chamber and defeated Baal as well as his clone. His acts were told all across the land and he was a hero to all people who walked in the light. The assassin wasn't sure what twist of fate brought her to him, but she would not let the chance to get to know him slip away. The man saw him coming and excused himself from the group of Rogues. They saw her as well and all had an amused look on their faces.  
  
"Uh, thanks," the assassin stuttered out.  
  
"You're welcome," the man replied, "So what were you doing out in that forest?"  
  
"I was doing what any assassin would do in a time like this. Fighting the minions of Hell."  
  
"Hmm. Well, that is certainly what you ended up doing. What is your name?"  
  
"I am Kari."  
  
"The name is Marko."  
  
Kari had not expected him to actually tell her his name and didn't know what to say.  
  
"Nice to meet you," he said and extended his hand.  
  
Kari took it and the two shook.  
  
"Are you planning to stay the night?" Marko asked, "At the very least you would need to get your equipment repaired."  
  
Kari nodded. "I will be staying overnight. I'm leaving tomorrow for Lut Gholein."  
  
"What an interesting coincidence. I am also traveling to Lut Gholein. Care to join me?"  
  
Kari was getting suspicious. This man was perhaps the most famous in the world and he was offering her the chance to travel with him? Did he have ulterior motives? Well, she'd have to figure that out soon.  
  
"I will tell you tomorrow," she said.  
  
"Fair enough. Kashya! Is Charsi still in shop?"  
  
"She should be," Kashya answered.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Marko turned and walked deeper into the monastery. Kari quickly followed him. He was right, her weapons could use a little work. She soon found herself inside a large workshop and saw a woman pounding on a strip of metal with a large hammer. There were several other women working there too. Marko walked over to her with Kari behind him.  
  
"Hey Charsi."  
  
The woman looked up and smiled when she saw Marko.  
  
"Marko! Long time no see."  
  
He put his bow in front of her.  
  
"Can you finish looking over and repairing this by tomorrow morning?" he asked.  
  
"Sure. Shouldn't be too bad."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Who's she?" Charsi asked.  
  
"Her name's Kari," Marko spoke before Kari could open her mouth, "She'll also need you to look over her Katars and have them ready by tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. Just leave your weapons here for tonight."  
  
Kari reluctantly handed over her Katars. The two had seen her through thick and thin and she held them very dear.  
  
"I'll take good care of them," Charsi assured her, as if she could read her thoughts.  
  
Kari nodded.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow," Marko said before turning and taking his leave.  
  
Kari was right behind him. Marko stopped one of the Rogues and asked her a question but Kari didn't hear what they said. He simply nodded and thanked her.  
  
"There are only two spare rooms in the west wing," he said, "Warriv's men have taken up most of the room."  
  
"Warriv?"  
  
"He's a merchant. I travel with him a lot. Besides, that's the only caravan that's going to Lut Gholein so I'll have to go with him."  
  
"And he's leaving tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So I'll have to go with you."  
  
Marko sighed. "I can understand why you don't trust me, but I don't hold anything against you for it. These are dangerous times. However, I'm sure Warriv will be glad to take on another warrior. He'll need plenty of protection once we enter the Aranoch Desert. It was still a nasty place the last time I traveled through it."  
  
Marko led them through the halls and they soon were in front of two doors.  
  
"Take your pick," he said.  
  
Kari picked the left room. Marko walked into the right room and took off his armor. He leaned his sword against the wall and stretched out. The blade of his weapon never needed sharpening and could never be destroyed. He had made that weapon himself using his magic and it was a powerful sword. It was most likely unique as well. His armor was completely black and fit him nicely. It wasn't bulky and offered great protection against any weapon. The black cloak he wore over his armor was also useful. It absorbed magical spells and had saved him several times before. The armor retracted into a cast-like structure and he took it off. He then wrapped it in his cloak. He took a bath and changed into a fresh set of clothes that he had brought with him. The old ones he washed and hung up outside to dry. Hopefully they would be ready tomorrow or he'd have to use magic to dry them. It didn't cause any problems but was a waste of energy. After that he headed down to the dining hall. Many Rogues had heard that he had returned and were waiting in the dining hall for him. After he had killed Blood Raven and Andariel they felt they owed a debt to him. He tried to downplay it but it didn't work so he just accepted it. Kari was already eating and talking with many of the Rogues. He took a seat at the opposite end of the table and began a conversation with two Rogues and one of the caravan guards.  
  
  
  
"What is he like?" Kari asked Falvie.  
  
"He's an honorable man," she answered, "I have known far worse in my lifetime."  
  
"He's also rather handsome," another added.  
  
"Has he ever rescued other women?"  
  
"Not that I know of," Falvie answered, "You are the first that we know of. And he's never asked a woman if she would like to accompany him on his journey. When one of us asked if we may come with him he said that the journey was far too dangerous, that he barely makes it out alive. Who can argue with that?"  
  
Kari nodded. She had figured that he wasn't trying to harm her. Maybe he really did want to get to know her. But he did save her. That caused an interesting twist. She popped another piece of meat into her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully.  
  
"So are you going to accept his offer?" a Rogue asked her.  
  
"Probably," Kari answered, "I mean, we'll probably be traveling on the same caravan anyways."  
  
"I must say, you are rather lucky," Falvie said, "Getting saved by Marko and then getting asked to accompany him."  
  
"Well, he is an interesting man. I guess I'd like to get to know him."  
  
"Alarm! Goatmen are attacking the monastery!"  
  
All of the Rogues jumped out of their chairs and ran for the armory. Kari pushed her way through the crowd for her room. Her armor was in it and she would need them if she was going to fight. She ran into her room and slipped on her armor and ran down to the workshop. Charsi had taken out a large battleaxe and when she saw Kari she threw her the Katars. Kari strapped them on and ran out to the monastery grounds and up to where the archers were firing. Goatmen were running out of the forest and charging the wall. The Rogues had slaughtered many of the goatmen but more were pouring through. Some soon reached the monastery walls. A large battering ram was brought up, though the Rogues picked off several of the carriers. Others took their places and they were soon ramming the doors. Kari ran down from the towers and headed towards the door. Many Rogues were trying to hold the door back but the battering ram was too powerful. It drove open the door and goatmen poured through. The Rogues fell back and fought with swords. Charsi leaped into the battle, swinging her axe about and cleaving goatmen in half. The door was now wide open and more goatmen were pouring through. Kari joined the battle with several of the caravan guards behind her and cut down several other goatmen. More quickly piled through and attacked, driving the defenders back. Charsi took an arrow in the side and another Rogue carried her away, her battleaxe dropping. Kari looked around her. Dozens of Rogues had come to join the battle but Marko was still missing. She suddenly felt a massive surge in magical energies and the front lines of the goatmen exploded. Their organs and blood splattered all over the grounds. More rushed through but they met the same fate as their comrades. Marko suddenly appeared in a flash of blue light. He charged with his sword and sent any goatman that got into his way flying, if he did not outright slice them into pieces. Their body parts flew as Marko cut his way through their ranks. He waved his hand and a few dozen more goatmen exploded. Kari was slightly speechless at what Marko was doing. He waved his hand again and more goatmen exploded. Now all of the goatmen were retreating from the onslaught. Marko unleashed a massive firestorm that wiped out half of the retreating goatmen. He then set off a chain nova spell which jumped from one goatman to another, frying them to a crisp. Within a few minutes a quiet had settled. Marko leaned on his sword for support, exhausted. Kari ran over to him.  
  
"You okay?" she asked.  
  
"Very tired," he answered, "Very very tired."  
  
"Let's get you back inside," she said and let him drape his shoulder over her neck.  
  
"No," he said, "Get me to wherever they're putting the wounded. My work isn't finished yet."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous! You did plenty! You repulsed the attack!"  
  
"Get me to the infirmary!" he said firmly.  
  
Kari considered trying to talk him out of it again but saw that it would do no good. She stopped one of the Rogues.  
  
"Where are the wounded being moved?" she asked.  
  
"Into the dining hall," the Rogue answered before running off.  
  
Kari helped Marko into the dining hall and saw dozens of injured Rogues resting on tables and chairs. Akara was attending to them and doing her best.  
  
"Get me to Charsi," Marko commanded.  
  
Kari led Marko to where Charsi was lying. The spear had been removed and two Rogues were cleaning her wound. Marko waved them off and they reluctantly moved aside for him. They remained and watched curiously as he sat down next to her. He raised his hand over the wound and both his hand and the wound started to glow a soft blue. A few seconds later the wound closed and was healed. The two Rogues gasped.  
  
"Get me to the other wounded," he ordered.  
  
Kari and the two Rogues supported him as he worked from one injured to another, healing them. Akara soon joined them. She had also been healing others but could not do anything about the ones that had suffered serious injures. She took care of the ones with light wounds while Marko healed the ones that would most likely die from their wounds. When he was finished, he collapsed into a chair and would have fallen off had Kari not caught him.  
  
"You okay?" she asked again.  
  
"Just tired. I need to get some sleep."  
  
She and two other Rogues carried him back to his room. He suddenly pushed a button on his armor and it retracted. The two Rogues helped him out of his armor and he fell onto the bed and was asleep in seconds.  
  
"He is a greater man than he takes credit for," one of the Rogues said when they were out of his room.  
  
"He is," Kari agreed, "but why did he invite me to travel with him?"  
  
"Sometimes great men make choices that are lacking in reason when others think of them," the other Rogue said, "Who knows? But if you do travel with him, the two of you will probably encounter great challenges and adventure."  
  
"I'm a mage-slayer," Kari said, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do anymore. The world is so full of demons and monsters that it all seems hopeless."  
  
"Never lose hope, my child."  
  
The two Rogues bowed and left as Akara appeared.  
  
"You saw how Marko fought. He fights with his heart, not just with magic and swords. Learn to do that, and hope will never fade from you."  
  
Kari nodded. "Thank you Akara. I had better get some sleep. The caravan is leaving tomorrow."  
  
"Hardly. After that attack, they're probably going to stay put for another week."  
  
"Oh. Well, that'll probably change Marko's plans. If he wakes before me, tell him I plan on going with him wherever he goes."  
  
Kari went back into her room and took off her armor. She put them to one side of her room and went to sleep. She would need all the rest she could get before she set out with Marko.  
  
  
  
Kari looked around her. Everything was shrouded in absolute darkness. She was wearing a beautiful full-body armor and had twin Katars strapped on her arms. Both Katars were finer than any she had ever seen before and they brimmed with power. Suddenly doors opened and light poured into the chamber. She shielded her eyes from the light until they had adjusted. She walked into the light and came out on a massive plaza. She was standing on a massive road paved of pure white limestone that led to a massive arch at the center of the plaza. The arch was made of a beauty purple-bluish crystal and had four feet. At the top, where the four feet intersected, a sphere of absolute light composed of fire and ice seemed to gaze down upon all that surrounded it. Under the arch, a large blue crystal in the shape of a pyramid stood. The entire thing was massive, yet it only covered a small part of the plaza. She then realized that there were other beings standing on the side of the road where she was. Archangels, in all their splendor and magnificence, stood side by side on both sides of the road. Kari started walking down the road. All of the Archangels seemed to be looking at her, studying her, measuring her with their hidden eyes. She tried to ignore their probing looks and instead concentrated on her surroundings. The plaza was floating above what seemed to be a fortress composed of white crystals. Surrounding the fortress was a massive city, larger than all of the great cities in the world combined. It must have stretched for miles and miles before ending at tall white stone walls. The walls sparkled from reflected light and were so high Kari could see them clearly from where she stood, towering over the outskirts of the city yet no shadow touched it. A road led to the palace straight through the city to the wall and a large gate stood. The gate was wrought out of a metal far stronger than any that mortals could make and would stop any that tried to break into the city itself. Kari then turned her attention to what was in front of her. She had almost reached the massive arch. There an angel moved forward with a pillow. Kari took off her Katars and placed them on the pillow and the angel took them away. Then, an Archangel appeared. Kari gasped as she recognized the Archangel. Tyrael, one of the most powerful Archangels of the High Heaven. He presented her with a beautiful sword and she took it. The blade was as tall as she was from her knees up. It had a large blue gem embedded on the hilt and there were arcane carvings on the blade of the sword as well.  
  
"Archangel Kailua," Tyrael suddenly said, his words carried across the plaza, "Are you ready to face the Master of Darkness?"  
  
Kari was so stunned that at first she didn't speak.  
  
  
  
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. Sweat ran down her forehead. She did not know what her dream was about but she was sure that it was important. She got up and washed her face in the basin left in her room. Her armor and weapons were gone but she didn't feel worried. If the Rogues or Marko wanted to harm her, they would have already done so. She walked down to the dining hall and found Marko already seated by Falvie. She waved for Kari to join them and Marko caught sight of her. Kari walked over and sat down next to Marko.  
  
"Did you rest well," Falvie asked.  
  
"Well enough."  
  
"Thanks for helping us last night," Falvie said.  
  
"It wasn't much. Marko was the one here that dispersed them. What was that spell you used?"  
  
"Apocalypse."  
  
Kari gasped but Falvie and several other Rogues just smiled.  
  
"I thought it was impossible for any mage to learn how to use that spell without scrolls," Kari finally managed to say.  
  
"None of those mages were as powerful as me. Believe me, I've had to become that powerful. After facing Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal, if I hadn't learned how to control that much magic I would be dead."  
  
"And the world is glad that you have become so powerful," said Falvie, "You are the slayer of the three Prime Evils."  
  
Marko grunted. "Warriv won't be leaving for another week so I have some time to take care of unfinished business. Kari, want to come with me into the forest?"  
  
Kari was taken by surprise by the offer but nodded. Marko finished eating and went up to his room. When Kari went back to hers, he was already in his armor. The black metal showed not a slightest hint that it had been in battle the day before. Marko's hood was up and he was leaning against the wall. Kari went into her room and found her armor and Katars in her room. They were also clean. She put them on and walked out into the garden with Marko. The two stepped on a waypoint and they were teleported into a forest.  
  
"Where are we?" Kari asked.  
  
"We're pretty close to a large encampment of goatmen," Marko answered, "I believe they are Moon Clan. They're the ones that attacked you and the monastery."  
  
"So why are we here?" Kari asked nervously.  
  
"We're going to take out their encampment."  
  
Kari looked at the back of Marko's head and started to wonder whether it was empty or not.  
  
"After I killed Andariel and cleared out all of the demons and monsters in the monastery the Rogues abandoned their old camp and moved back in. However, a large army of goatmen moved into the camp and took it over."  
  
"And what can two people do against an army of goatmen?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it won't exactly be just the two of us," Marko confessed.  
  
"What? You have a hidden army out here?"  
  
"Uh, more or less, yes."  
  
Kari gave him a confused look but Marko ignored it. He stood up and waved his hand. Suddenly, a dozen Fire Golems appeared out of thing air. Kari gasped and looked at the massive creatures.  
  
"As I said, we aren't exactly alone."  
  
"You're a Necromancer!" Kari stuttered out.  
  
"Not really. Even though I can raise dead demons and skeletons and such, I've found that those skills are pretty much useless. However, raising golems is useful."  
  
"But, how did you learn their magic?"  
  
"I have my ways. Come on. The goatmen probably already spotted all these golems. Let's give them nasty surprise."  
  
Kari snapped out of it and followed Marko. The golems followed them and Marko ordered them to break down the walls of the encampment. They used their hands to set fire to the wooden walls and soon much of the enemy encampment was in flames. Goatmen charged out and attacked the golems. Marko and Kari were immediately in the middle of the battle, striking down goatman after goatman. They killed more and more goatmen, with the golems supporting them and burning any goatman they touched. The fighting swung back and forth as the two sides fought for the remains of the camp. Kari didn't understand why the goatmen were so desperate to take back ruins but she kept on fighting. Three goatmen tried to team up on her but she sliced one into five pieces quickly while she beheaded the other two. A golem grabbed a charging goatman by its horns and smashed its face into pieces. It then burned right through the armor and skin of another and incinerated its heart. The other golems fought in similar fashion. Kari suddenly saw skeletons appearing from the corpses of the dead goatmen. They were wearing battle armor and all carried a shield and some sort of melee weapon. They charged and crashed into the ranks of the goatmen, smashing it with every skirmish. Skeleton mages were also being raised, and they quickly destroyed several enemy squadrons with their magic. Kari saw one Ice Mage freeze five goatmen and two skeleton warriors charge in and smash them to pieces. The two armies clashed and soon the skeletons outnumbered the goatmen. They were pressed and surrounded by all sides. The goatmen tried one final charge in an attempt to break out of the encirclement but failed utterly. All that remained of an army of goatmen were their corpses and the skeletons standing idly. Once the fighting had ceased, Kari could only look at the skeletons. All looked fearsome in their battle gear and seemed to lust for more blood to be spilled. Suddenly, all of them crumbled into dust and the golems disappeared in a burst of fire. Kari spun around and saw Marko with his arm raised and a fist formed.  
  
"I dislike having an undead army marching under my banner," he said, "However, as I have no army right now, they will have to do in intense combat."  
  
"Why didn't you raise skeleton warriors at the battle last night?" Kari asked, her voice shaky.  
  
"Because it wasn't necessary," Marko answered, "The Rogues dislike the undead, and I didn't want to alienate them."  
  
"So you only called upon your undead army because there aren't any Rogues around."  
  
"I know how you Mage Slayers feel about Necromancers. However, you have to understand. I am not really a Necromancer. I have their skills, but those are things I learned over the years. I did not start out as a Necromancer."  
  
"So what were you?"  
  
"A paladin. I was a knight of the Hand of Zakarum."  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
Z98 


	2. Valor Lost

Chapter 2: Valor Lost  
  
Kari couldn't hide her surprise, though she felt she shouldn't have.  
  
"You started out as a paladin. A holy warrior. And now you're known as the Hand of Light. Must be quite an accomplishment for a paladin."  
  
"Not really. There are better things. There are more responsibilities. Now people expect me to defeat all of their troubles, just like I defeated the three Prime Evils. In the end the only things I can defeat are demons. That's the only thing I can do. I've fought so long that I can't."  
  
"So why ask me to accompany you?"  
  
"Because I see the potential in you to become greater than I am. To be the true Hand of Light."  
  
"And how are you not?"  
  
Marko laughed. "That's a good one. I am a warrior. Nothing more. You think I actually wanted to become the so-called Hand of Light? I was a paladin who rebelled against the Church of Zakarum. In the end I was the one that defeated the Prime Evils, but do I get to relax and settle down? No. Suddenly the world is thrown into chaos and I get stuck in the middle of the fighting."  
  
Kari looked at him sympathetically. Marko had done humanity a great service, but he was still serving. A man like him should be able to live a better life than just going around slaying demons.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, "I guess I can't understand what you went through."  
  
"I went through Hell. That's the only way to describe it."  
  
For some reason his grin made her want to smile with him, and she did.  
  
"Let's finish our business here and get going," he suggested.  
  
"What else is there for us to do?"  
  
"The forces of Hell have been using waypoints to move armies across great distances. Of course, normally a waypoint can only transport so many, but these new demons have corrupted the waypoints and can move entire armies across great lands."  
  
"So what are you going to do with this waypoint?" Kari asked.  
  
"I'm going to seal it."  
  
Marko walked through the ashes of the burned camp. He created a wind and it blew the ashes away and revealed a waypoint stone. However, instead of the white it was supposed to be, it was a dark red. Marko knelt down next to it and started mumbling something. He held his hands out, palms facing down, and the stone started melting. Within a few seconds the symbols on the waypoint disappeared in the molten rock and the two flames on the stone were extinguished. Suddenly the waypoint exploded and dust rose from the ground. Kari coughed and fanned with her hands, trying to get the dust away. When it had settled, the stone that had marked the waypoint had crumbled and the waypoint itself was broken.  
  
"No one will be able to use this anymore," Marko said, "That ought to keep the legions of Hell from invading this place with a large army anytime soon."  
  
"How did you do that?" Kari asked, "I thought you could not destroy a waypoint."  
  
"All you have to do is bend the tunnel that connects waypoints. Everything will break at a certain point. I just bent it beyond that point and snapped the connection."  
  
"Are you going to do that with all of the waypoints?"  
  
"No. This was one of the corrupted ones. Hopefully there aren't that many more such. Well, we should get back to the monastery."  
  
"It's going to be a long hike."  
  
"No need."  
  
Suddenly a portal appeared in front of Marko.  
  
"Another trick I learned," he said, "Creating portals without scrolls."  
  
Kari smiled at him and walked through. Within seconds she was inside the monastery. Several Rogues were in the garden and looked at her and Marko in surprise. However, they moved along with their business. Kashya appeared from the building and approached them.  
  
"I don't think the goatmen will be bothering you for a while," Marko said.  
  
"You didn't have to do this."  
  
"Yes I did. No other human knows how to seal a waypoint. It'll probably take some time for another army that large to move against you."  
  
"Thank you," said Kashya, "I'm sure Warriv will be happy that you made it safe to travel again."  
  
"I didn't. Unfortunately, his trip across the desert will have to be delayed even longer. I took out only one clan. Usually there are at least three clans of goatmen working together. That means there are two more armies out in the desert. He'll have to wait until I do something about that."  
  
"You shall have our help when you need it," said Kashya.  
  
Marko smiled. "I will take you up on that offer once I return. Kari, have you ever been to Mt. Arreat?"  
  
Kashya and Kari gasped.  
  
"You're going to the Barbarian Highlands?" Kashya said in astonishment.  
  
"I have some friends there that could lend me a hand. I am not going to take on two bloody armies at the same time."  
  
"But what about what you did earlier?" Kari asked.  
  
Marko shook his head.  
  
"I am not going to summon another army to do that all over again. It would take too much energy on my part. I only did it today because I couldn't lead an army of Rogues into something I didn't know too much about. The two of us could have sneaked in and gotten out alive, but an army of Rogues moving would have alerted the goatmen."  
  
"Well, that is true," said Kashya, "However, consider taking some sisters with you on your journey to the Highlands."  
  
Marko nodded. "Where's Falvie? I'm sure she would just love to go off on some adventure."  
  
"When are we leaving?" Kari asked.  
  
"Right after I get something in my stomach and get my bow. And get a change of clothes."  
  
Marko walked off towards the workshop and Kari followed. Kashya went to find Falvie. Charsi was already back at work.  
  
"You should be in bed," Marko chided.  
  
"Oh, you know me," Charsi answered with a smile, "I can stand up to anything. Thanks for healing me."  
  
"Well, we have known each other for a while. Besides, you fought with me last night. I'm here for my bow."  
  
"I looked at it before the goatmen attacked. It seems fine and doesn't need any repair."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She handed him the long war bow.  
  
"I'll see you later," he said.  
  
"Bye Marko. Don't get yourself killed now."  
  
Marko shot her a parting smile and left the workshop.  
  
"I suggest you get ready as well," he said, "If I'm not down in the dining hall when you're ready, just wait for me."  
  
Kari nodded and went into her room. She had a spare set of clothes and changed into them after taking a quick bath. She tied her hair into a ponytail and cleaned her armor. She strapped it on and hooked her Katars onto it. After that she went down to the dining hall. Marko was already sitting with Falvie and eating. He waved to her and she sat down.  
  
"I suggest you fill your stomach," he said, "We're going to travel for a while."  
  
She did so and after about half an hour they were heading to the front gate. Marko quickly found Warriv and handed him a bag full of gold. A few minutes later a man appeared with three horses.  
  
"We'll need them to travel all the way to the Highlands," said Marko, "I personally don't want to use the waypoints yet so we'll ride there."  
  
He leaped onto the black stallion with one smooth movement and looked at them, waiting for them to mount. They quickly did so. The doors were opened and the three galloped into the wilderness with the evening sky descending on them. They rode silently through the forest, hearing no beasts or birds, demons or monsters. When the night sky had blanketed the earth and the moon was starting to rise, Marko stopped them. They nearly ran past him, his black cloak hiding him in the darkness.  
  
"We'll make camp here," he said, "I have a pack of dry meat if either of you are hungry."  
  
Both of the women nodded their heads. He got off his horse and tied all three of them to a tree. He took off the saddlebags and unrolled three sleeping bags.  
  
"Goodnight," he said before wrapping his cloak around him and covering himself with the blanket.  
  
Kari and Falvie looked at each other and shrugged. If he thought it was safe to sleep out here then it should be. They crawled into their sleeping bags and were soon fast asleep.  
  
  
  
Kari and Falvie woke up at the same time the next day. They looked around and saw that Marko had already built a small fire and was cooking two rabbits. He took them off of the fire and cut them into three even portions and put them on wooden plates.  
  
"The advantage to having magic," he said as he brought them their breakfast, "is that I can make as many dishes and bowls as I want."  
  
They ate their breakfast quickly and once they were finished Marko simply threw away the dishes. When they hit the ground they turned to dust.  
  
"Let's go," he said.  
  
They mounted again and the three rode quickly through the forest. Marko watched the forest carefully, not wanting any surprises to pop up. The forests passed by them quickly as they rode through the lands. For two weeks they rode, stopping at night to rest. They encountered no creatures on the journey and all three were glad for it. In the third week, they found themselves in a bit of trouble.  
  
"How many are there?" Kari asked.  
  
Marko was lying on his stomach and peering down hillside. They were looking down on a large camp of massive hulking demons.  
  
"This sucks," Marko muttered, "We have two options. Fight through them or go around. Going around might take too long though."  
  
"So you're suggesting we fight them?" Kari asked incredulously, "That's insane!"  
  
"I could raise another army."  
  
"Don't you dare think of doing that!" Falvie said sharply.  
  
"Or I could just go down there and use Apocalypse a dozen times."  
  
"Don't you dare try that either!" said Kari, "We can just go around!"  
  
"That'll add two more weeks onto our journey," said Marko.  
  
"Fine," said Falvie, "Two more weeks. Let's get going!"  
  
Marko sighed and got onto his horse. He did not want to argue with two women so he conceded. They galloped off for another two weeks.  
  
After the three weeks total it took them to travel so far they arrived at a large fortress that guarded the pass that led into the Highlands. Dozens of knights were out on patrol and they ran into them.  
  
"Halt!" one said, "Identify yourself in the name of the King?"  
  
Kari felt the urge to laugh, or at least giggle. King Leoric was long dead with his son, and there was no royal heir to the throne of Entsteig.  
  
"I am Marko Lyther. We are traveling through the Highlands."  
  
Several of the knights laughed.  
  
"No one goes into the Highlands and lives," one of the laughing knights said when he stopped, "You are a fool!"  
  
"Watch your mouth!" Falvie snapped, "You are in the presence of the Hand of Light and I suggest you pay proper respect."  
  
"You expect us to believe that?" another knight said, "Why would the Hand of Light travel into the Barbarian Highlands? He is no fool!"  
  
Marko dismounted and walked up to the knights. Their horses shifted uneasily and tried to back away. The knights held on tightly to their reins to keep the horses from moving.  
  
"I am Marko Lyther, slayer of the Prime Evils. If you doubt my words, I suggest you think again. I have no tolerance for incompetents and I am surprised that whoever your king is would make men like you into knights."  
  
Three of the knights dismounted and drew their weapons.  
  
"Let us teach this insolent dog who exactly he is dealing with," the lead knight said.  
  
Marko's sword flew from his sheath into his hand without him having to touch it.  
  
"I am the Hand of Light. All who stand in my way have fallen, as will you."  
  
Bright light gathered into the blade of his sword and blinded all those standing around him. When the light receded the three men that had challenged him were lying on the ground, their weapons melted away and their armor in pieces. The other men gasped and backed away on their horses.  
  
"I suggest you leave and tell your friends to avoid us," he said, "Or else."  
  
They snapped their reins and the horses went into a full gallop. Within moments they had left behind their comrades and were away. Marko remounted.  
  
"Let's go," he said, "Those fools will probably try to bring reinforcements."  
  
"Did you really have to do that?" Kari asked.  
  
"Not really. I might have been able to talk my way through it. But Falvie kind of blabbed about who I was."  
  
"Sorry," she said.  
  
"It's okay. Let's get going."  
  
He led the two women quickly through the forest and towards the pass. When they were almost to it dozens of knights appeared and moved to block their way.  
  
"Halt!" the lead knight ordered.  
  
Marko and the others halted, not wanting to run into an entire army of knights.  
  
"You will come with us to the fortress."  
  
"And why should I?" Marko shot back.  
  
"You attacked my fellow knights."  
  
"I attacked nobody. They made the challenge and I accepted. Now, if you can't find better men to become knights, that is not my problem."  
  
"The man claims to be the Hand of Light!" one of the men in the crowd shouted, "That is blasphemy!"  
  
"You would dare make such a claim? You will suffer more for that! No one but the true Hand dares make such a claim!"  
  
"My point exactly. Now, move aside."  
  
"Dismount now or we will be forced to action!"  
  
Marko started chanting some spell and raised his hand. Lightning appeared from nowhere and struck at the feet of the knights' horses. The horses immediately tried to run and the knights could barely control them. Marko then fired a beam of white light from his hand. He sliced through the earth and created a long scar on the ground. The knights fell back, afraid to come any closer.  
  
"Move aside," Marko ordered.  
  
Several of the knights did so while the rest seemed to lose confidence with their comrades leaving them.  
  
"You will pay for this!" the knights' leader yelled as he retreated with his men.  
  
"Was that really necessary?" Kari asked after the men had ran away.  
  
"All that stand against me will be crushed," Marko said simply, "Those that stand with me will live as they will."  
  
His horse started galloping again and the three entered the mountain pass. They were soon in the Barbarian Highlands.  
  
  
  
The three had traveled a great distance and had encountered several barbarian tribes. Marko showed them an amulet that he had and they gave the three shelter and food. This had enabled them to survive for a very long time and they soon reached Mt. Arreat. Several guards were outside the city and let them in. Marko immediately made his way to a large building. He showed the amulet to the guards here and they moved aside for the three. Marko seemed to know his way around and walked into a large chamber. A young woman was sitting and talking with several other men with he came in. When she saw him she got up and walked over to hug him. Marko returned it and the two let go of each other after a few moments.  
  
"It is good to see you again," said Anya, "After you left, many of us thought you would never return."  
  
"I've returned for a reason," Marko said, "You know as well as I do that with the Worldstone destroyed, the forces of Hell are pouring through faster than before. I've come to raise an army."  
  
"You are not the only one in need of an army," one of the men said, "Demons have dared to come into the Highlands. We have slaughtered several armies of them, but we still suffer greatly."  
  
"I know," said Marko, "I only ask that you let me make my offer to a few of your warriors."  
  
"If we can help you, we will," said Anya, "We owe you much for what you have done."  
  
"Thank you," said Marko.  
  
"I'll have rooms prepared for you. When you return, you can rest and eat."  
  
"I won't be long. I'll see you soon Anya."  
  
Anya waved and the three left.  
  
"So who are we looking for?" Falvie asked.  
  
"An old friend of mine. If I remember correctly, we'll find him easily."  
  
They walked around the city and soon found the man Marko was talking about.  
  
"Qual-Kehk!"  
  
An old man looked up and smiled.  
  
"Marko! What brings you back to Harrogath?"  
  
"I am looking for men," Marko replied, "I am looking for fellow warriors and friends to join me."  
  
"Marko, you know I am too old for adventures."  
  
Marko shook his head, not convinced.  
  
"When I last saw you, you were ready to fight Baal alone with no help at all. Time may age you, but your spirit is still strong. You are one of the greatest defenders of Harrogath and I need your help."  
  
"So what happened this time?" Qual-Kehk asked, "Did another Prime Evil appear?"  
  
"We shall see," said Marko, "I know of only a few warriors that are strong enough and brave enough to follow me to where my destiny lies. If you come with me, our destinies will be intertwined. Come with me Qual-Kehk."  
  
"My people need me here," Qual-Kehk argued, not convinced. "Demons have been pouring into the Highlands and we need every man that can carry a sword.  
  
"I have no doubt your need is great," said Marko, "However, my need is great as well. Our world is facing greater danger than ever before, and someone must ensure that humanity survives. I am working towards that. Come with me Qual-Kehk. I know a man such as you does not care for glory, but for the deed itself. Well, what I am trying to do is ensure the survival of all peoples."  
  
Qual-Kehk looked at Marko thoughtfully. He then turned his gaze upon Kari and Falvie.  
  
"And who are these two ladies you brought with you?" he asked.  
  
"Falvie is a Rogue that fought with me when I scourged the Rogue Monastery free of demons," Marko answered, "Kari is an assassin that I helped out several weeks ago."  
  
"It seems you already have two fine warriors," said Qual-Kehk, "Why do you need me?"  
  
"Because with you I would have three fine warriors fighting by my side."  
  
Qual-Kehk again had a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, he nodded.  
  
"Very well, Marko. Whatever danger you face, my blade will watch your back."  
  
Marko and Qual-Kehk shook hands. For some reason, Kari felt as if something momentous had happened. The two men smiled and Qual-Kehk hefted his massive battleaxe.  
  
"Where are you staying?" he asked Marko.  
  
"In the citadel. I plan on leaving very soon."  
  
"You are trying to raise an army," said Qual-Kehk, "Perhaps you would like some of my warriors to accompany you."  
  
"No," said Marko, "Where we go, they cannot. I can already raise an army of golems and skeletons. There is no need for the living to shed too much blood yet."  
  
Qual-Kehk nodded. "I will wait here for you to leave, and I will travel with you wherever you go."  
  
Marko bade goodbye and led the two women back to the citadel.  
  
"If you want to get your weapons repaired, I suggest you do it now," he said, "The blacksmith's name is Larzuk and he's pretty good with what he does. Just ask one of the guards to show you where his workshop is."  
  
Marko disappeared into the crowds and left the two women behind. They didn't bother to find him and instead found a guard. He led them to Larzuk and went back to his post.  
  
"Larzuk?"  
  
A man appeared.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Marko said you could repair our weapons."  
  
"Marko Lyther? He's returned?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'll have to go see him! Well, you said you needed weapons repaired?"  
  
"Yes. My Katars have seen heavy use."  
  
"I would like to make sure my bow remains strong when I am in battle."  
  
"Well, give them here. I'll take care of them. Be back tomorrow and they should be done unless they've been damaged badly."  
  
The two handed over their weapons and armor. Larzuk started examining them immediately and the two women left to return to the citadel.  
  
"I never expected to be this far from home," said Falvie, "The farthest I've been is when we traveled around Entsteig to defeat Andariel's forces."  
  
"Come on," said Kari, "I want to see if we can get a chance to speak with Anya. She seems to know Marko pretty well."  
  
They ran back to the citadel and made their way back to the chamber again. Anya was eating lunch when they appeared.  
  
"Oh, hi. You're the two that's traveling with Marko."  
  
"Yes. I was wondering. How did you come to know him?" Kari asked.  
  
"Well, come in and sit. It is a rather long story."  
  
The two took their seats and Anya had food brought up for them.  
  
"I'm the daughter of a clan leader, and after my father died, I was supposed to take over. However, Nihlathak, the last surviving clan leader, was corrupted by Baal and imprisoned me in an ice prison. Marko had arrived to kill Baal and he found out that I was missing so he started looking for me. He found me and freed me and then killed Nihlathak. With him dead, I assumed command of all of the clans, since I'm the last clan leader alive."  
  
"He certainly gets around a lot," Kari noted.  
  
"It's rumored that he went down to Hell and killed Diablo down there," said Anya, "He is most definitely a brave man, and not bad looking either."  
  
"Why does every woman I meet say that?" Kari said in an exasperated tone.  
  
"Because it's true," said Falvie, "I consider myself rather lucky being able to travel with him. I knew that he came here and killed Baal, but everything else is jumbled up."  
  
"Well, after he rescued me and killed Nihlathak," Anya continued, "He challenged the three Ancients that guard Mt. Arreat. He defeated them and was granted entrance into the Worldstone chamber. He was too late to stop Baal, but he still managed to kill him. That's been enough to keep most of humanity from being enslaved by the forces of Chaos."  
  
"I heard rumors that a large army of goatmen was amassing and preparing to strike Lut Gholein," said Falvie, "When I first heard that Marko was planning to travel there, I thought he was going to try to destroy the army. But now he says that two other armies are blocking the way into the Aranoch Desert so we can't pass through it to reach the city anyways."  
  
"So that's where you're going?" said Anya, "Well, it certainly seems better than going to Kurast."  
  
"What is happening there?" Kari asked anxiously. She had grown up in the city before leaving to become a Mage Slayer.  
  
"Well, I heard that several armies of powerful demons wielding magic were preparing to lay siege to the city," Anya answered, "though I do not know how accurate these reports are."  
  
"Powerful demons?" Falvie said in surprise, "What exactly does that mean? Are they as powerful as the Lesser Evils?"  
  
"I have no idea," said Anya, "All I know is that something is going to happen to Kurast and it probably won't be a good thing."  
  
"When are these things ever good?" said Kari, "But enough about that. We can worry about goatmen armies after we actually get to Lut Gholein. What is Marko like?"  
  
"Why do you ask?" Anya asked, "You are traveling with him."  
  
"He doesn't talk much when we're on the road," said Falvie, "Do you know him well? I only fought by his side during his quest to kill Andariel."  
  
"He is a brave and honorable man," said Anya, "That's all there is to him. He's been through thick and thin and lasted this long. A scholar could spend a lifetime recording his achievements."  
  
"Anya, do you know of other Archangels besides Tyrael?" Kari asked all of a sudden.  
  
"No, Tyrael is the only Archangel that I know of that actively works to ensure humanity's survival. The others I think are more concerned with defeating the forces of Chaos. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, I heard someone call an Archangel by the name of Kailua. I just wanted to know if you knew of it."  
  
"I'm afraid not," said Anya, "Tyrael is the only one I know of, and even there I don't know much."  
  
The three women continued eating in silence until Kari broke it.  
  
"Marko spoke to a man named Qual-Kehk. Who is he?"  
  
"He is the clan's Master at Arms. Marko wants him to accompany him? Well, if Qual-Kehk wants to follow him, I will not stop him. Marko usually has a good reason for whatever he does."  
  
"Why do you think Marko is gathering warriors?" Falvie asked the other two women.  
  
"He said something about preserving humanity," Kari replied, "though what that means I have no idea."  
  
"With the forces of Chaos ravaging the lands again, I would think he needs the support of his friends and allies," said Anya, "Perhaps he means to travel around the world and perhaps seal the breach that allows demons into our world."  
  
"That would make him an even bigger hero than he already is," said Kari, "He already said he isn't out for glory, just doing what no one else can. I've seen his magic. He's incredibly strong and if a Mage Slayer ever trusted a sorcerer or sorceress to not become corrupted by using dark magic, I believe it would be him. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it would be him."  
  
"There will be times when he does things that neither of you understand," said Anya, "However, just remember that he is a man of honor, and no man of honor would willingly put a good person in danger. I suggest the two of you get some rest. If Marko doesn't try to recruit more warriors to join him, I suspect that he will want to leave very soon."  
  
"Thank you for speaking with us," said Kari.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
The two women left the chamber and a servant showed them to their rooms. They found a fresh set of clothes and after bathing changed into them. It felt nice to soak in warm water after traveling so hard the past few weeks. After that they went down to the dining halls to try to pick up some news. Marko was nowhere in sight. They soon found out that there wasn't much news to be heard and went out into the city itself. It was very large and had many interesting things to see. Many barbarians patrolled the streets to keep the peace. There were no other outlanders except for themselves and the two women felt oddly out of place. They went through the few shops there were but didn't buy anything. Both had some gold but not enough that they could spend it freely. When they returned to the citadel they found two squadrons of barbarians standing outside. They made their way through and found Marko standing inside, leaning against one of the large columns.  
  
"Marko. What are all those men doing outside?" Kari asked.  
  
"You might say I've been raising an army," he answered, "I asked for any man that was willing to follow me to come with me and fight two armies of goatmen. These are just some of the men preparing to leave with us."  
  
"Some? How many men did you convince to follow us?" Falvie asked him.  
  
"Roughly two hundred. Once we get back to the monastery, the Rogues will probably send another hundred of their sisters with us and we should be able to defeat the goatmen."  
  
"And Anya is letting you take that many of her warriors?" Kari said, rather surprised by the events that had taken place.  
  
"Well, these men aren't exactly going to follow us all the way to Lut Gholein. After those two armies are cleared out, they'll probably all go back to their homes. The Rogues will of course remain behind."  
  
"Well I'm going wherever you're going," Falvie said stubbornly.  
  
"Of course. I never expected that you would go back to the monastery."  
  
"When are we leaving?" Kari asked.  
  
"Two days. Rest up. We'll need to find some way to get past those damn knights without starting a war between the clans and Entsteig. Though I don't really have much doubt who would win."  
  
Kari cracked a grin and went back into the citadel with Falvie. Traveling with Marko would most definitely be very interesting.  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
Z98 


	3. Corruption and Purity

I know I kind of gave the impression that Marko was invincible, but there is a reason for that. And besides, the guy did kill the three Prime Evils, the Lesser Evils, and is one hell of a touch bastard to have gone through all that. Also kind of surprised that so many people started reading my thing. I had a bunch of emails from ff.net informing me of reviews.  
  
Chapter 3: Corruption and Purity  
  
"Why should we allow you back into the Worldstone Chamber?" Korlic, the first Ancient asked.  
  
Marko hadn't wanted to have this conversation, but apparently the Ancients were going to be stubborn this time.  
  
"I saved your people from Baal," Marko reminded them, "I helped you once and now I need your help. I need to enter the Worldstone Chamber once more."  
  
"No one may enter the Worldstone Chamber without challenging us," Talic said.  
  
"Fine," Marko said impatiently, "I challenge you again. Let's just get it on and then I'll be on my way and out of yours."  
  
"And why should we accept a challenge from you?" Madawc asked.  
  
Marko felt as if he was going to burst.  
  
"Look, you owe me one for saving your people. Well, I'm calling it in now. I challenge you to battle and either accept or decline, cause I don't have time for anymore nonsense."  
  
  
  
"I am ready."  
  
Kari was dreaming of the plaza again. Tyrael was still standing before her and handed her the sword. She took it and felt power blaze through her body. This weapon was far greater than anything she had ever seen and gave her the power to do almost anything she wanted.  
  
"Take care, Kailua. The Eye has prophesized the coming of the Master of Darkness. Though we do not know who he will be, you will have enough time to mature on the mortal plane. Another champion will wield Valor of the Light until it is time for you to have it."  
  
"I will succeed, Tyrael. I will not fail your trust in me. I will be there to oppose the Master of Darkness when he comes."  
  
Suddenly white wings extended from Kari's back and spread out. She had four wings total, all of them a shiny silver color. They seemed to reflect all the light and absorb it at the same time, their magnificence beyond doubt. She took flight and disappeared in a flash of crystal blue light. The next thing Kari knew, she was in a crib with a man and a woman looking over her.  
  
"Isn't she beautiful?" the woman said.  
  
"Indeed," the man agreed, "Our daughter. Our dear, lovely daughter."  
  
The woman picked her up and held her close to her breast.  
  
"My beautiful daughter. My Kari."  
  
  
  
Kari nearly fell off of her bed but caught onto a post. She pulled herself up and took deep breaths. The sun had just started to rise and there was a warm red glow upon the land. She got out of bed and looked out her window. The city beneath her was just waking up, and everything seemed peaceful. She saw a few people walking about, but those were really early risers. The little sunlight that was shining bounced off the many buildings and made everything look just right. There was a clock ticking away in her bedroom and it showed that it was four thirty in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and tried to recall the dream. It came back to her in pieces but she felt as if something was missing.  
  
"I am Kari Leland," she murmured, "I am Kari Leland."  
  
She splashed her face with the cold water in the basin, trying to wake up fully. When she came out of her room a fierce breeze hit her. She quickly retreated back into her room. She opened the closet and found several fur coats hanging in it. She took one and put it one. She also took one of the boots from the closet and put them on. When she came out again she didn't feel quite as cold. She passed two guards patrolling the hallways but they didn't give her a second look. She walked around but found that most of the residents were asleep. She found herself in the dining hall but it was empty too. Unfortunately, her stomach felt the same way. She entered the kitchen and was rather surprised to see Marko drinking something while making a sandwich. He looked up and saw her standing at the doorway.  
  
"You can come in," he said.  
  
Kari blinked and walked in.  
  
"So what are you doing up so early?" he asked.  
  
"I couldn't sleep. Dreams."  
  
Marko nodded. "Dreams. Well, there's bread, meat slices, and vegetables over there if you want to make yourself a sandwich."  
  
"What is that you're drinking?" Kari asked.  
  
"Tea. They don't have any coffee so I'll have to make do with tea."  
  
"I don't see what's so bad about tea," said Kari, "Coffee has such a bitter taste."  
  
"And tea doesn't?"  
  
"Well, most people do add a little sweater in their tea."  
  
"Same with coffee," Marko replied, "A few teaspoons of sugar'll make any coffee sweat. Or you could just add milk. There's no real difference between tea and coffee. Merely preference."  
  
"Are you always this practical?" Kari said, amused.  
  
"Life creates many amusements," Marko replied, "I've seen things, beautiful and ugly, done things, good and evil, and yet I can still find amusement. I think that is one of the few things that are eternal."  
  
"You are a very interesting man," said Kari, "with layers deeper than I would have ever realized if I only met you for a brief moment."  
  
"And what did you think that brief moment would be like? I am not a vain man and I do not try to take advantage of people. I've settled many of those in my time and I will not become what I hate."  
  
"An honorable man. Every person that I've asked about you said you were honorable. I'm starting to believe it. But why did you ask me to accompany you?"  
  
Marko finished making the sandwich and placed it on the plate. He slid the plate over to Kari and she took it and bit into it. He turned to get more bread and meat.  
  
"I asked you because you are like me," Marko answered, "Just as Falvie is like me, just as Qual-Kehk is like me. I'm looking for people that cannot stop fighting, that will not stop battling."  
  
"And that's why you're only choosing a few people to travel with you? Why you chose me?"  
  
"Of course. You are as wed to battle as I am. Most likely, all of us would die in battle rather than old age. It's just the way we are."  
  
Kari took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. What Marko said did make sense. She had always fought, even when she was a child. Her mother had wanted her to become a lady of proper manners, but it was not to be. Her father disapproved of her fighting, but didn't really stop her. He had even taught her some skills when she was old enough. Meant to keep her safe, he had said. Memories of the dream flashed through her head. She suppressed them quickly, trying to fight down the throbbing pain.  
  
"So why are you gathering us?" she asked.  
  
"For a very great purpose," said Marko, "To challenge the Master of Darkness."  
  
This time Kari nearly fell to the floor. The storm of memories struck her hard and she grabbed the side of the counter for support. Marko was immediately at her side, holding her up. When she opened her eyes, she found them looking at the sandwich splattered on the floor. Marko picked it up and put it back on the plate.  
  
"I've heard that there is a five second rule regarding food falling on the floor," he joked, "I think we can ignore it this time."  
  
Kari smiled. She let Marko hold her up, partly because she was having trouble keeping her balance anyways, and partly because she liked having him close by.  
  
"You said something about facing the Master of Darkness," she said a few seconds later.  
  
"Yes. You might say it was his plans that the Prime Evils carried out, though they of course thought it was their own plan."  
  
"So what exactly is the Master of Darkness?" Kari asked.  
  
"The heir to Hell," Marko answered, "The man that will break the world and lay siege once again to the Gates of Heaven."  
  
Kari nearly fell to the floor even with Marko holding her. Images of her fighting countless demons flashed through her head. She wore twin Katars on her wrists and sliced through demons pouring out against her. She thought she saw other beings fighting beside her, Archangels. When the images finally stopped she found herself staring into Marko's face. Her face reddened.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked.  
  
"Did I say something?" Kari said, even more embarrassed now.  
  
"You mumbled something in the Old Tongue," said Marko, "A very early dialect of the Old Tongue."  
  
"Oh. Well, I don't know how I could do that since I was never good at other languages in school. I didn't exactly pass the tests we had on the Old Tongue."  
  
Marko shook his head.  
  
"Well, I thought I heard you speak in it. I'd better get you back to bed. It's too early for you to start fainting."  
  
"No, I'm fine," she assured him, "It's just that I've had some headaches lately. I'm sure they'll pass by."  
  
"Okay. But if they get worse tell me."  
  
"I will."  
  
Kari smiled at him again and this time it was his face that started turning red. She giggled and let him lead her out. Before they left, Kari grabbed her half-eaten sandwich. No matter what, she was still hungry.  
  
"Aren't you going to clean up your mess?" she asked.  
  
"I already put the food away," Marko replied, "Besides, I already finished my breakfast."  
  
She looked back and saw that the mess she had seen earlier was gone.  
  
"Telekinesis," Marko said, "Very handy trick."  
  
Marko led her through the hallways of the citadel.  
  
"Where are we going?" Kari asked. She didn't recognize the hallways.  
  
"I have something that might help with headache," Marko replied, "We're going to my room."  
  
They finally stopped and entered a room twice as large as Kari's. It had a sitting room, a study, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Kari gasped when she realized how big it was.  
  
"As I said, I am something of a hero to the clans," Marko said simply, "They insisted on giving me this room."  
  
"There's even a fireplace."  
  
"Oh, that."  
  
Marko waved his hand and fire started burning in the hearth. She sat down on one of the handcrafted chairs and waited for Marko. The man rummaged through his bags and took out a potion bottle. The contents were colored red. It looked like any ordinary healing potion but Kari knew it was not. A normal healing potion did not alleviate headaches. Marko poured some of it into a wineglass. He handed it to her and she drank it down slowly. Within seconds her head stopped pounding and hurting.  
  
"What is this?" she asked.  
  
"A man I know in Lut Gholein makes potions," said Marko, "I convinced him with a large purse of gold to make something to alleviate headaches. Now many people are buying them from him. He's a rich man because of me. That purse bought me a hundred bottles of the medicine."  
  
"So how many do you have left?"  
  
"That's my last one. I plan on restocking my supply when we reach Lut Gholein."  
  
"That might take a while. Shouldn't you be conserving your supplies?"  
  
"You need it. Might as well let someone who needs it drink some."  
  
"They also said that you were good looking. I think I agree with them."  
  
Marko looked up in surprise. Kari grinned at the look on his face.  
  
"The women I talked to about you."  
  
"I seem to have that affect on women," Marko said quietly, "though most women in the world would only want to marry me because of what I have done, not because of who I am."  
  
"So you're also looking for love? I thought you said you were wedded to battle."  
  
"It is not a sin to be wed to battle and to a woman," Marko said, "I have met men who did think it was and they ended up never forgiving themselves for abandoning a loved one. Fools."  
  
"You aren't like most men I've known," said Kari, "A lot of them that are in danger try to get their loved ones far away from them. You seem to be the other way around."  
  
"I don't exactly have any loved ones. I'm an orphan and I haven't found anyone to love. I doubt that I ever will."  
  
"Akara once told me to never lose hope. I think you need that advice more than I."  
  
Marko looked at her in surprise. His face quickly turned serious though.  
  
"I've held on hope longer than must people could dream of, in the darkest of situations. But then again, that is who I am."  
  
"The Hand of Light."  
  
"I have got to get rid of that title," said Marko, "It is seriously getting on my nerves."  
  
"What? You don't like being known as the servant of the High Heavens, savior of humanity?"  
  
"Savior of humanity is fine, but not servant of the High Heavens. I've picked up more than just the skills of a Necromancer. You might say I've also picked up their distaste in their interference with our world."  
  
"The High Heavens do what they must to fight the forces of Chaos," Kari said defensively, though she did not know why. "You must have a certain amount of faith in the forces of Order."  
  
Marko shrugged. "Well, let's just say I will ally myself with them, but I will not serve them."  
  
"No one expects you to."  
  
A bottle of wine suddenly floated out of a cabinet. Marko poured a glass for himself and drank it down with one gulp.  
  
"We leave today," he said, "I hope you're ready."  
  
"You've been so busy visiting old friends that you wouldn't notice if I had disappeared. Of course I am ready."  
  
"I wouldn't exactly call it visiting old friends," Marko said, "The Ancients aren't exactly friendly. Especially not towards the man that had defeated them in combat."  
  
"But you saved their people. Shouldn't they be grateful?"  
  
"They know that they owe me a debt, or at least a favor, and I called it in. I was allowed to go into the Worldstone Chamber for one reason. To kill Baal. Now, there is no reason that they can see to let me go into their most sacred of places. I had to call in the favor they owe me."  
  
"And now you're allowed to go in whenever you want?"  
  
"Hardly. I was allowed to go into the Chamber one last time and spend as long as I wanted. Nearly took me an entire day to find what I wanted."  
  
"So what did you want? Is Baal's carcass still rotting in there?"  
  
"Yes, and the smell was horrible. I had thought Baal being alive would kill me, but it's him being dead that nearly did."  
  
Kari's smile widened. Marko seemed to still hold onto hope for whatever he was trying to accomplish.  
  
"So what were you looking for?" she asked.  
  
"I wanted to figure out how Baal corrupted the Worldstone."  
  
Kari was silent. That was a dangerous piece of knowledge to search for, and something he shouldn't trust telling anyone to.  
  
"Did you figure it out?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.  
  
"Yes. I hadn't expected it to be so easy, but Baal did it."  
  
"So what are you planning to do with this knowledge?"  
  
Marko walked over to his bags and searched through them again. He took out two objects wrapped in delicate silk cloth and brought them over to the table. He carefully set them down and unwrapped them, one by one. The first object was a crystal, pure blue and serene. The other was blood red and seemed to be filled with darkness. It made Kari's stomach queasy to be near it.  
  
"Baal didn't have enough time to corrupt the inner heart of the Worldstone. I was lucky to find such a large piece of it intact. The corrupted fragments, however, were everywhere."  
  
Kari looked in wonder at the two pieces. They were fragments of the Worldstone, one corrupted, and one pure.  
  
"What are you going to try to do with them?" she asked.  
  
"I'm going to try to cleanse the corruption within this fragment."  
  
Marko picked up the red piece and black energy seemed to try to spread into his body. He set it down slowly and seemed to remain unaffected.  
  
"You shouldn't touch that one," Kari warned, "It's too dangerous."  
  
"I know. However, even evil can hold great power."  
  
He rapped them up again and put them away.  
  
"Those are the things I came for," he said, "Now that I have them, we can leave once everyone is roused."  
  
Kari nodded. "I guess I should get ready."  
  
"I'll see you at the gates of Harrogath in two hours."  
  
Kari left Marko's room and made her way back to her own. Her armor had been repaired and cleaned. She took another quick bath and discarded her old clothes. The new clothes Anya had supplied felt nice and fresh. She carried her armor with her when she went down to the dining hall again. A few servants were now here and informed her that breakfast wasn't ready yet. She asked if she could make herself a sandwich and they let her into the kitchen. She found the bread, meat, and vegetables where Marko had said were supposed to be and made a large sandwich. She did not intend to ride on an empty stomach. After she had filled herself, she put on her armor and hooked on her Katars. When she arrived at the stables she found Falvie already saddling her horse. Marko's was already gone.  
  
"I see you're also an early riser," said Falvie.  
  
"I didn't exactly sleep well," said Kari.  
  
She saddled her horse and mounted. The two women rode through the streets, drawing looks from the few people up. When they arrived at the gates it seemed as if a large army had gathered. Marko was waiting for them and several other people were there as well, Anya included.  
  
"I hope the three of you return one day," she said, "You did not give us a chance to honor you properly."  
  
"It is honor enough that you let me stay under your roof," Marko replied, "If the Light wills, I shall return."  
  
Anya hugged him one more time before stepping back and letting him mount. Qual-Kehk was already on his horse and had his battleaxe strapped to his back. Marko snapped his reins and the black stallion galloped off, two hundred barbarians and two women following him.  
  
  
  
The small army had traveled for two weeks, riding hard. They were now at the pass that led into Entsteig. The fortress still stood and there were a few patrols.  
  
"If I bring in this army, the entire garrison will fall on us," said Marko, "This is ridiculous. We'll have to get around them."  
  
"Couldn't we use a waypoint?" asked Kari, "We can move the army through a few at a time."  
  
"I don't know how well the Rogues handle having two hundred soldiers suddenly appearing in their monastery."  
  
"We can exit through another waypoint and travel the rest of the way by foot," said Falvie.  
  
"Might as well do that," said Marko, "There's a waypoint close by. Follow me."  
  
The army marched behind him and they soon found themselves standing before one of the waypoints.  
  
"The advantage of knowing the terrain," Marko said, half to himself.  
  
He stepped on the waypoint and set the stones to the location he wanted.  
  
"Let's go," he said.  
  
Falvie, Qual-Kehk, and Kari got on with him. A few seconds later they were deep in Entsteig. They got off immediately and soon a band of barbarians appeared. This process was repeated until the entire army had arrived. They then marched through the forest until they reached the monastery. Marko, Kari, and Falvie came out of the forest first, the barbarians following slowly after them. The gates were opened slightly and Kashya came out.  
  
"Is there a reason you brought a barbarian army to our monastery?" Kashya asked.  
  
"They have come to help defeat the two armies of goatmen blocking the way to Lut Gholein," Marko answered, "You don't have to fear them. We're marching tomorrow."  
  
Kashya nodded. "I will lead two hundred sisters and follow you."  
  
"You don't have to," said Marko, "All I need is one hundred."  
  
"We of the Sisterhood will not let it be known that we do not offer equal support to the Hand of Light," Kashya said with a grin.  
  
Marko almost seemed to groan but he just grunted.  
  
"Very well. Tomorrow, we march four hundred strong. After the goatmen are defeated, you can return to your monastery, and the barbarians will return to the Highlands."  
  
"So why are you going to attack the goatmen?" Kashya asked.  
  
"They're in my way. I intend to get to Lut Gholein and nothing is going to stand in my way, certainly not some goatmen."  
  
"You haven't changed a bit," Kashya said approvingly, "I will gather our forces. I'm afraid that your friends will have to camp outside. I don't know if we have enough rooms for all of them."  
  
"That'll be fine," said Marko, "They will need food though. I don't know how much more they have with them."  
  
Kashya nodded and went back inside with the other Rogues. The monastery doors remained open though.  
  
"I'm surprised you didn't ask Kashya to come with us," said Kari.  
  
"Kashya is loyal to the Sisterhood," Marko replied, "Besides, she is not like you or I. She may think she is wed to battle, but I can tell the difference. Don't tell her I said that. She'll probably try to gut me."  
  
Kari laughed, enjoying the chance at having something to laugh at. Weeks of heavy traveling had tired her, and they were marching off for battle again tomorrow. She walked into the monastery to take a bath and get something to eat.  
  
"Marko."  
  
Marko turned around and saw Qual-Kehk standing behind him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Many of the warriors want to follow you all the way to Lut Gholein."  
  
"Tell them that I have already chosen someone to represent them," Marko replied, "You are the only one from the Highlands that is going with me."  
  
"They say that you need more muscle."  
  
"What I need is wisdom and experience," Marko snapped, "Fools with swords do no good if they don't know how to use them."  
  
Qual-Kehk smiled. "You remind me of my first teacher. He said something similar."  
  
"Then he was a wise man. Inform the men that I intend to travel with the caravan without an army marching at my back."  
  
Qual-Kehk bowed and went back to the barbarian camp. Falvie had gone into the monastery. She would probably want a chance to say goodbye to her friends or such before they left tomorrow. Marko leaned back against a tree. There were many things he had not told any of them regarding himself or his weapons. One such thing they didn't know was that the sword he carried was a gift from Tyrael. It was perhaps the most powerful weapon any mortal possessed, inflicting poison, fire, and ice damage all at once. The runes embedded in the steel, invisible to the naked eye, transformed the metal so that it could absorb any sort of magic. He had used this sword to deflect the spells of countless mages that tried to stand in his way. The edges of the sword were also very sharp. He had cut clean through the weapons of warriors he had faced and killed them while they only stood there, dumbstruck by what had happened to their weapon. The most powerful weapon any mortal could have. He did not even need a shield anymore, though if he found one to match his sword he would certainly use it. His bow was a long war bow and had served him well. When he had fought Andariel, he had used a composite bow to strike out at her. It had saved his life. Now, he had a far greater bow and it had helped him through many tough situations. The sun was still up high, though noon had come and gone. He went off in search of something to practice swords with. Perhaps one of the barbarians would be a good opponent.  
  
  
  
"That was a nice bath," Kari said when she came out of the room.  
  
"I certainly agree," said Falvie, "A pity we will be traveling through a desert very soon. Have you ever been to Lut Gholein? I hear that it is a great city."  
  
"It is a rather large city, though how great it is depends on opinion. I came through Lut Gholein to get here, though I went around the monastery. I actually got lost and found myself in the forest."  
  
"Where are you from?" Falvie asked, "All I know is you aren't from this region, and that is already pretty obvious."  
  
"I'm from Kehjistan," Kari answered, "My parents were merchants and didn't exactly approve of me becoming a Mage Slayer."  
  
"I've always wondered what it was like to marry and have children," said Falvie, "Well, I'm sure you'll find out for me."  
  
Kari choked on her own saliva.  
  
"Mage Slayers usually don't marry," she said.  
  
"Well, we Rogues do. By the way, do you think four hundred warriors will be enough to break two armies of goatmen?"  
  
"I don't know. Goatmen are very difficult to kill and who knows how many two armies are. But with Marko with us, I'm pretty sure we can defeat them. That Apocalypse spell he knows can definitely cut down their numbers."  
  
"Apocalypse is a very tiring spell to use," said Falvie, "even for him. He'll probably use other spells."  
  
"Well, he could always raise an army of golems or such."  
  
"He probably won't raise an army of undead though," said Falvie, "I personally wouldn't want them fighting beside me either way."  
  
Two Rogues nodded at them and they returned the acknowledgement. They went out to the gardens and walked around. Akara suddenly appeared beside them.  
  
"Do either of you know what Marko is up to?" she asked.  
  
"He's going to Lut Gholein," Kari answered, "What do you mean? What else could he be up to?"  
  
"That man is very sure of himself. I felt him carrying two powerful magical objects; one filled with such darkness that I thought I would faint. The other was pure light. A person could bask in its light forever."  
  
"He took two fragments of the Worldstone," Kari explained, "One pure and one corrupted. He said he was trying to destroy the corruption in the dark fragment."  
  
"An ambitious man," said Akara, "I wonder what he is trying to do? But that still does not explain why he is going to Lut Gholein."  
  
"Perhaps he is going to Kurast," Falvie suggested, "That place is filled with mages and the archives there might have things he is looking for. He would have to find a ship to take him there and Lut Gholein is a great port city."  
  
"We shall see," Akara said before leaving them.  
  
"Do you really think his final destination is Kurast?" Kari asked once Akara had gone.  
  
"Perhaps. Why?"  
  
"Well, let's just say my parents might not be too pleased to see me coming back the way I am."  
  
"You'll be returning in the company of the Hand of Light! They should be proud of you!"  
  
"No, I'm a full Mage Slayer now. They never wanted me to become one."  
  
"Oh. That is a problem. Well, I'm sure being in the company of Marko will be enough."  
  
Kari sighed. "You don't know my parents. Well, might as well make the best of it."  
  
"I want you to meet some of my sisters. The last time you were here you didn't have a chance to know more than just a few of my friends. Now you do."  
  
Kari's face brightened.  
  
"I'd be glad to."  
  
  
  
"You always did have strange company with you."  
  
Marko glanced backwards and saw Qual-Kehk standing against a tree. Marko turned and leaned against the remains of the fence.  
  
"So you consider yourself strange?" Marko asked.  
  
"Well, a Master at Arms, the Hand of Light, an Assassin, and a Rogue. If that isn't strange company for each of us, I don't know what is."  
  
"Come now Qual-Kehk. We all know each other. We've fought together against Baal's army. The two of us are hardly strangers."  
  
"True. So did that Rogue also fight with you against Andariel?"  
  
"She fought with me several times as I cleaned up this entire are," said Marko, "You have any idea how many demons we killed together?"  
  
"A great many, I'm sure. But what about the assassin?"  
  
"Kari? Well, I guess she's special. Don't tell me you don't notice it when you're around her."  
  
"I do notice it," said Qual-Kehk, "She has the potential to become even greater than you."  
  
"If she isn't already," Marko muttered, "She'll be a good friend to have watching your back when the time comes."  
  
"Whatever you are planning to do, I trust you," said Qual-Kehk, "though I would feel safer knowing that two hundred of my brethern also watch my back."  
  
"They aren't needed. Two hundred is enough for a small army and that would scare the living daylights out of anyone that approached us. I'm not going to start a war. Besides, the exploits of your warriors are well known."  
  
Qual-Kehk laughed. "Indeed. No one has ever dared invade us after we crushed the first and only attempt."  
  
"We march tomorrow," said Marko, "I want your troops ready. The goatmen number in the thousand and I will be hard pressed to supply support. Unless you want me to raise an undead army."  
  
Qual-Kehk's face turned serious.  
  
"I would only ask you to do such a thing if we are truly desperate," he said, "I do not like having the undead fighting by my side."  
  
"And I do not like having the undead fighting under my banner," said Marko, "Don't worry. Fire golems should be enough. We march tomorrow."  
  
"Indeed we do."  
  
Marko looked out upon the evening sky again. There were so many things to do, but the objectives were so spread out that he doubted anyone would truly understand them. He reached into the bag and took out the pure Worldstone fragment. It shone beautifully in the twilight, beautiful and pure. So unlike its twin. Marko wrapped it up again and put it away. It would be a long time before he would do anything with it. He still needed to recover a few other things. The corrupted Worldstone fragment remained in his bag, its darkness trying to seep out. However, with it so far away from the other corrupted fragments, it did not have the strength to extend its influence. Marko could feel it trying to break free of the crystal. That was something he intended to keep from ever happening. With what he planned, humanity would be protected from the influence of both the High Heavens and Hell. That would probably annoy Tyrael and the High Heavens, but Marko could not be picky at a time like this. He carried his bag back to his room. He himself still had a room in the monastery, but the other warriors didn't seem to mind sleeping outside. They probably safer not being surrounded by hundreds of Rogues anyways.  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
I've actually already finished most of the story, but am too lazy to edit it too much.  
  
Z98 


	4. Marching Past the Gates of Death

Chapter 4: Marching Past the Gates of Death  
  
Falvie and Kari were lying on their stomachs looking down into the desert. According to Marko there were two thousand goatmen. What they saw certainly proved it.  
  
"Four hundred of us fighting that many," said Kari, "Even with golems helping us, that would be suicide."  
  
"Let's hope Marko has a good plan," said Falvie, "or else we're all dead."  
  
They hurried back to where their forces had gathered. Marko was sitting on his stallion, his face impassive.  
  
"So?"  
  
"You're right," Kari said, "How are we supposed to defeat two thousand goatmen?"  
  
"We'll only have to fight one thousand," said Marko.  
  
He dismounted and walked onto the rise. Everyone watched him as if he was insane. Suddenly blue light shot up from him and pierced into the heavens. The goatmen saw him and started advancing slowly. Suddenly, the clouds parted and a sphere of molten rock appeared. It struck the army of goatmen that was at least a mile away from them. A wave of fire spread all across the land, burning everything it touched. When the flames were extinguished, barren land remained where goatmen had stood. Marko unsheathed his sword and raised it above him.  
  
"We attack!"  
  
Fire golems appeared and charged with him. The others followed, whether on horses or foot. They crashed into the ranks of goatmen and the slaughter began. Kari didn't even see Marko and only knew where he was because of the goatmen flying through the air. Her Katars severed many heads from their bodies and she continued to fight throughout the day. The Rogues stayed back and fired arrow after arrow, picking off many goatmen before they even reached the battlefield. Finally Kari saw goatmen exploding. They tried to scatter and run but were cut to pieces by the axes and swords of the barbarians. Qual-Kehk himself was in the thick of battle, cleaving any goatman in range with his massive battleaxe. Suddenly a massive ring of lightning swept through the battlefield. Every last goatman standing feel and any that tried to get up was killed quickly. Marko was standing in the middle of the battlefield and had his free hand placed on the ground. He had cast a nova spell and killed the last remaining goatmen. The warriors retreated back to their camp having won the battle. Kari quickly caught up with Marko.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"I'll be fine. I just need rest. How many did we lose?"  
  
"I don't know. Just get to your tent. You need rest more than any of us. You and your golems probably accounted for half of the goatmen we killed today in battle, not counting those you killed with that meteorite."  
  
Marko nodded reluctantly and Kari led him to his bed. He was asleep right after lying down on the blankets. Kari took off his sword and armor for him. Blood even stained his clothes but that would have to wait. When she came out she found several others outside, waiting.  
  
"Marko's fine," she said, "He just needs rest. How many did we lose?"  
  
"Thirty sisters," Falvie answered, "and fifty barbarians. The wounded are being tended. They'll live."  
  
"We'll have to probably stop for a while," said Kari, "Well, I guess that's a good thing. Let's get some rest. We all need it."  
Marko woke up late the next morning. He immediately took off his bloodstained shirt. He grabbed all of his dirty clothes, including his armor, and took a fresh change of clothes with him. There was a clean lake that the caravan was camped by. He wasn't surprised when he saw many men bathing, though the women had somehow erected a wooden wall and set up a place for themselves. He set his clothes by the bank and dove in, taking his dirty clothes with him.  
  
"Marko!"  
  
Qual-Kehk was one of the men in the lake. The water seemed to have washed away some of his tiredness. He threw Marko a bar of soap.  
  
"Wash well," he said.  
  
Marko nodded. He lathered himself and then rinsed the soap off. He then moved to his clothes. He managed to get the goatman blood off easily enough and then attended to his armor and cape. The cape was fine and a quick dip in the water took out any dirt that was in it. The armor he had to scrub a little with a borrowed rag. Soon it was shining black again. He got out of the water, dried himself off with a towel, and changed into his fresh clothes. The dirty clothes and cape he had washed he took back with him. The armor was a little annoying to carry but he managed. Outside his tent he used rope and tied one end to his post and another to a tree branch. He then hung his clothes out to dry. At least now he had a chance to rest. Qual-Kehk had also returned and was reading a book he had brought along. Marko himself sat back and took out the corrupted and pure fragments.  
  
He laid them out in front of him and examined both. The energy that the two emitted were the exact opposite of each other. When he held both he felt a burning sensation, as if the two powers were trying to fight each other. It was only natural. He picked up the pure fragment and tried to probe it. The internal structure of the crystal was fascinating. It was intricate and delicate, yet at the same time strong and sturdy. The structure flowed over itself and also seemed to overlap at certain points, but none of the flows ever ended. They were endless and continuous. He put down the pure fragment and picked up the corrupted one. Again it tried to influence him with dark thoughts, but he beat it back and nearly shattered the crystal with his power. He didn't do that yet. He still needed to learn about it.  
  
The corrupted fragment's structure was no different from that of the pure crystal. However, the energy channeled in the crystal was completely different. He peeled through the layers of power and corruption and finally found the heart of the crystal. It was blacker than a moonless night, and darker than the coldest void. This crystal held a piece of the Void of Hell, where creatures more evil and powerful than anyone could possibly dream of existed. It was like a gateway to the darkness. There was more however. Power wasn't the only thing this crystal held. It also held a hunger. A hunger for any living thing. A very dangerous thing. If he wasn't able to find a way to remove the corruption, the fragments at Mt. Arreat might someday become a threat. The dark energy in the fragment seemed to be covering over something. Though the corruption was strong, the light was still there. Weak as it was, it still existed. However, all that remained were less than embers. The fire had been extinguished, and all that remained was the fuel that had fed the fire. Now they fed a different fire. If he could somehow create just a tiny spark and maintain it, he might be able to remove the corruption. However, he was still too tired to try today. It would have to wait until he was refreshed.  
"We shall meet again someday, Marko."  
  
The leader of the barbarian force bowed and Marko returned it. Kashya kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush and the others to laugh.  
  
"Come visit soon," she said, "You will be missed."  
  
"I'll see what I can do."  
  
The Rogues and barbarians left the caravan and started out for their homes.  
  
"Warriv, let's go."  
  
The merchant nodded and waved to the head wagon. Marko snapped his reins and quickly the caravan was moving out. Kari and Falvie rode close to Marko with Qual-Kehk behind them.  
  
"So what exactly is in Lut Gholein?" Kari asked, "Every time I ask it seems as if you're dodging."  
  
Marko licked his lips and seemed to consider her words.  
  
"I've trusted you a lot," he finally said, "I told you I was going to try to remove the corruption from the Worldstone, and for some reason I'm starting to feel like I can trust you with anything, even my life. Well, I guess I can trust you with this too. My sword is part of a set. There is a shield, armor, cape, and crown that goes with it. The sword is called Valor of the Light, the shield is known as Shield of the Just, the armor is Defender of Hope, and the crown is Glory of Heroes. The cloak is the Shadow of Courage. I believe the shield is somewhere near Lut Gholein."  
  
"And you're trying to find this set? Why?"  
  
"With the complete set, a mortal could become as powerful as an immortal. With only part of it, see what I have become."  
  
Kari nodded. She understood most of what Marko meant.  
  
"So you're going to retrieve the Shield of the Just. Are you going to try for the others as well?"  
  
"I have to find the others first," said Marko, "The crown and armor are still lost."  
  
"What does the Glory of Heroes do?" Falvie asked, "and where is the cape?"  
  
"By itself it can shield me from any magical spells, even Apocalypse, though my cape already does it somewhat. However, if the entire set is complete, the crown will bind them together and harness their power into one. The cape is somewhere around our next destination."  
  
"Are you trying to be a god?" Kari asked him.  
  
"No. However, with the power of even three of the items, I will be able to do what I need to."  
  
"Marko, you say we're going to travel together. Well, give us a straight answer. Stop with all this 'I have to do' stuff. Just tell us in plain words. What do you mean to do with all that power?"  
  
"I plan on seeding another Worldstone."  
  
Qual-Kehk and the two women gasped. The first Worldstone had been placed by the High Heavens as a shield for humanity against the corruption that would have swept across the world from Hell. However, with the Worldstone destroyed, that shield was gone. Far better than a corrupted Worldstone, however.  
  
"So you mean to cleanse the pieces of the shattered Worldstone," said Qual- Kehk, "then bring them together. Is that why you are trying to figure out how to remove the corruption?"  
  
"I am going to do nothing of the sort," said Marko, "Mt. Arreat is not the place for a second Worldstone. The corruption there is too dangerous. I mean to cleanse it but the fragments will remain. I mean to plant the second Worldstone at another place."  
  
"But who else can be trusted to guard such a thing?" Qual-Kehk burst out, "We of the Highland have watched over the Worldstone for generations!"  
  
"And in the end you failed," Marko said, "I am not trying to anger you, but that is what happened. Before I left I challenged the Ancients once more for the right to enter Mt. Arreat. They simply asked that I reveal my plan, and they approved. The Ancients can keep the corruption from spreading from the mountain, but only for so long. Once the Worldstone is planted, the corruption in the Worldstone Chamber will be lifted."  
  
"You really are a bloody hero," Kari muttered, "What you're going to try to do is beyond the power of even the High Heavens right now!"  
  
"And how would you know that?" Marko asked in a curious tone, "The High Heavens wouldn't care if humanity fell as long as the forces of Chaos don't defeat them. However, you might actually be right. Without a fragment pure of corruption, another Worldstone would take several millennia to grow large enough to match the size of the one I have. Once it reaches that size, it must be planted. By then, I doubt our world could be saved from the corruption."  
  
"You never cease to amaze me," said Falvie, "One day your name will be uttered only in awe and admiration."  
  
"As if it isn't already," said Qual-Kehk, "Perhaps you are right that we failed our duty. Who do you plan to guard the Worldstone this time?"  
  
"The Mage Slayers."  
  
Falvie and Qual-Kehk looked at Kari, but she was as surprised by his answer as the rest of them.  
  
"The Mage Slayers hunt out corruption in mages and therefore are suitable guardians for something this important," said Marko, "I only pray that they do not also fail. There may not be another warrior like me to replant the Worldstone."  
  
"How many women have asked to share your bed?" Falvie asked suddenly.  
  
Kari looked at her in surprise and felt her own face turn red. An amused smile appeared on Qual-Kehk's face.  
  
"Whatever made you ask that?" Marko said, himself taken by surprise.  
  
"I would expect that any woman that knew who you are would have asked."  
  
"Don't get any ideas. Any who have asked have never succeeded in getting into my bed."  
  
"Perhaps you should ask a woman into your bed yourself."  
  
Marko broke out in laughter while Kari felt her face turn redder. She tried to laugh too, but it came out nervously and shaky.  
  
"Now what exactly made you ask something so random?" Marko pressed.  
  
"I wanted to see your reaction. Many men would boast of their fine abilities."  
  
Kari wasn't sure she could have listened for much longer. Fortunately, Warriv called a halt and the caravan stopped. They were soon pitching their tents. Kari was rather surprised that it was almost morning. They had left when the sun had set and it seemed they had traveled for the entire night. She ate a quick meal and went to bed. The night air had been refreshing but the sun would be blistering hot in the morning and she did not want to experience it more than she had to.  
"Marko."  
  
Marko turned his head and looked at Warriv. The caravan had been forced to stop because of what looked like a massive tower overlooking the desert. It was more of an obelisk and looked menacing even this far away.  
  
"Shall we go around it?" Warriv asked.  
  
"That would be a good idea," Marko agreed, "Unfortunately, they've probably already seen us."  
  
"It matters not," Warriv assured him, "Providing we can avoid whatever dwells in that tower, we shall be safe."  
  
Marko wasn't so sure about that. The darkness emanating from the tower was greater than what Warriv thought. He wasn't exactly sure what it was for, but it couldn't be good.  
  
"I don't think we can avoid it," he said.  
  
Warriv looked at him and waited for him to continue.  
  
"There's something about that tower. We can't avoid it. Whatever's inside will attack even if we try to go around it. We might as well fight back."  
  
"And what exactly is that tower for?" Warriv asked, "I do not remember ever seeing it."  
  
"Neither do I," Marko replied, "However, it's dangerous and we won't be able to run from it."  
  
"When could we ever run from evil?"  
  
Marko cracked a smile and went up to talk with the others. Once he had gathered all of them he had Warriv stop the convoy. The group galloped off towards the tower.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kari asked, "I mean, you did say that something evil was here."  
  
"Why else are we riding towards it?" Marko responded.  
  
Falvie had managed to get her bow ready with an arrow ready to shot. The horse continued galloping, their hooves making thudding sounds on the dry desert ground. As they got closer to the tower dust started to blow into their faces. Each wrapped something around their head to keep the sand out of their mouths and eyes. Marko merely put on his hood, though it made him look far more menacing. Kari almost thought she saw a dark aura surrounding him, but quickly concluded it was shadows playing tricks on her eyes. After a few more minutes Marko suddenly pulled the rein of his horse and came to a halt. The others quickly stopped with him. They were still a little ways off from the tower but Marko got off. He took out what looked like a metal stake and drove it into the ground. He then tied all of their horses' reins to the stake and they started walking.  
  
"Why couldn't we just ride all the way to the tower?" Kari asked.  
  
"We're actually at a disadvantage if we ride on horses and fight," Marko explained, "It would be better if we simply walked."  
  
He took out his sword and kept it ready. They encountered no trouble as they made their way to the tower. Soon they were at the gates. Marko fired a white beam of light from his hand and shattered the steel gates. They walked in, wary of any possible danger, but not seeing any. Marko raised his sword and light started shining out of it. It acted like a torch for them, lighting their path. Marko kept looking around them, as if he could see things in the dark that were invisible to the rest of them. Kari kept her Katars at the ready, not wanting to be caught off guard. Suddenly a crow swooped down at them. All of them lashed out but the crow managed to get past them. An arrow then struck it from behind. Falvie had found her mark.  
  
"Keep moving," Marko said to them, "We're not out of this yet."  
  
They pressed on and finally the outlines of the walls and floor appeared. However, the detail was still blurry. Marko suddenly stopped and Kari nearly ran into him. She peered out from behind him and saw what looked like a painting of a massive dragon. The creature had two massive horns coming out of its head and massive jaws showing in its mouth. Its wings were spread out and made the creature look even larger than it really was. An angry look appeared on Marko's face when he saw the painting.  
  
"What is it?" Kari asked.  
  
"The Dragon of the Abyss."  
  
Kari turned and looked back at Qual-Kehk.  
  
"What is that?" Falvie asked.  
  
"It is the most powerful creature that resides within the Abyss of Hell," Qual-Kehk explained, "Its power is greater than the Three Prime Evils combined, and is capable of defeating any archangel of the High Heavens."  
  
"Rumor has it that this was the creature that stopped Izual from destroying Shadowfang. Izual would have succeeded if not for the dragon, and that is the only time the dragon was ever seen."  
  
"What did the three Prime Evils think of it?" Falvie asked.  
  
"They feared and respected it," Qual-Kehk replied, "Of course, it is a very powerful creature, but legends say it is still waiting for its master."  
  
"The Master of Darkness," Marko finished.  
  
Suddenly all of them felt a tingle of energy surge through them.  
  
"Something's behind this wall," Kari said.  
  
"Everyone back away," Marko ordered.  
  
Slowly they moved away from the massive painting. Just when they'd moved a few steps the stone exploded and shards were sent flying towards them. Marko used his cloak to deflect them and moved in front of Kari and Falvie. Qual-Kehk held up his battleaxe and the pieces of stone bounced off the flat blade. Finally the stones stopped flying. However, something was standing in the shadows among the stone fragments.  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
The creature slowly walked out of the shadows, ignoring the dust that floated around it. As it entered the light a dark aura became visible. The creature was massive, as tall as an Overlord but didn't carry the weight. It wore full-body armor but wielded no weapons. A growl could be heard as the creature advanced towards them. Suddenly Marko waved his hand and something struck the creature's armor. Whatever it was bounced off and destroyed part of the ceiling. The creature looked at it, then at Marko, and finally smiled.  
  
"That's impossible," he murmured.  
  
Marko charged the beast and struck it with his sword. The creature avoided several slashes but one finally caught it in its side. It roared and the intensity actually threw Marko back. Falvie fired two cold arrows and both found their mark. However, the freeze effect only lasted for two seconds. Qual-Kehk took that opportunity and swung his battleaxe at the creature. It struck the arm of the creature but bounced off. The creature angrily grabbed the battleaxe and threw Qual-Kehk across the hallway. Kari attacked it from behind, kicking and slashing with her Katars. However, the creature caught her leg and threw her into Falvie. Marko got up and fired a focused beam of blue light this time, causing the creature to halt and keeping it from advancing. He then charged it and attacked with his sword again. The creature was barely able to avoid the first two swings and the third found its mark. It roared again but Marko was ready. He jumped up and pointed his sword down. When the beast looked up it was too late. Marko's weapon punctured its skull and drove deep into its head. He then turned it and sliced off most of the creature's head. Somehow, it remained standing and moved forward to continue fighting. Falvie fired five more arrows, all explosive. They slowed the creature down and Qual- Kehk brought his battleaxe down on the creature's neck. It cleaved right through most of its upper body while Kari sliced through the rest of its body. When they were done, the beast was in many small pieces.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Kari suggested.  
  
The others agreed using their feet, running out of the tower. Once they were out, it slowly collapsed upon itself. The four found their horses where they left them and returned to the caravan. They immediately set off again.  
Marko shook off the strange feeling and continued riding. The others were all silent and he didn't really care why. After two weeks of hard riding, they were finally reaching Lut Gholein. Time hadn't exactly passed and nothing exciting had happened after the tower, though he had to assume that was a good thing. He had studied the two fragments more and had finally figured out a way to draw the corruption out of the red fragment, but he still needed something to hold the corruption. That would have to wait for another day. The gates of Lut Gholein opened and revealed the buildings of the great port city. Warriv was leading the way and shouting.  
  
"Make way for the Hand of Light! Make way for the Hand of Light!"  
  
Marko didn't bother to stop the man, though Kari looked at him with a bit of worry in her eye. The girl was really starting to make him uneasy, even though she never seemed to notice it. Whenever she was around he couldn't keep his heart from throbbing. He had to fight it down every time and it was tiring. He hoped it passed soon. He had never felt like this around anyone he had known before.  
  
"Halt!"  
  
The caravan stopped as large men leading a squadron of soldiers appeared.  
  
"Marko!"  
  
Marko dismounted and walked to the man and hugged him.  
  
"Greiz! So you still haven't left!"  
  
"The king still pays us to guard the city," Greiz explained, "He'll be very happy to see you. After what you did to help him, I'll be surprised if he doesn't throw a city-wide party in honor of you!"  
  
"So how is Jerhyn these days?" Marko asked.  
  
"A far happier man. He got married."  
  
"Really? And I didn't get invited?"  
  
"He would have but no one knew where you bloody were. But then again, you have been moving around a lot. Come to the palace." He then saw Kari, Falvie, and Qual-Kehk. "Who are your friends?"  
  
"Let me introduce them. This is Kari, a Mage Slayer from Kehjistan. Falvie is a Rogue, though I would think you can recognize one. And this is Qual-Kehk, a barbarian Master at Arms."  
  
"Strange company you have," Greiz commented.  
  
"Many say I am a strange man. Come, let us go to the palace."  
  
"Right. You would not believe what you have missed though!"  
  
As they walked down the streets a crowd had gathered. Many knew Marko at sight because of his earlier exploits. They followed him all the way to the palace. "Now, the new queen is a stickler for proper conduct and protocol," Greiz continued, "If she tries to make you act all formal and such, don't think too much of it and just play along. You don't want to get on her bad side."  
  
Kari groaned. "He's been doing that with everyone that follows protocol too much."  
  
"Well, I suggest you don't here. I doubt you want to ruin your friendship with Jerhyn."  
  
"I'll try to act proper for Jerhyn."  
  
The two guards eyed the crowd nervously. One went inside and a few moments later Jerhyn appeared with a woman at his side.  
  
"Marko!"  
  
Jerhyn rushed down the stairs and shook hands with him.  
  
"It has been a long time, your highness."  
  
Jerhyn waved his hand.  
  
"No need to speak to me like that. We're friends. Just call me Jerhyn."  
  
"Very well. And this fine lady must be your wife."  
  
"Yes. Shara, come here and meet Marko Lyther, the Hand of Light."  
  
Shara walked down slowly and with a touch of nobility. She curtsied to Marko and he returned it with a bow.  
  
"My husband has told me of your exploits," she said in a cool voice, "It would please me if you would stay in the palace while you are in Lut Gholein."  
  
"I would be honored," said Marko, "though I have some old friends that I intend to visit before I settle down and rest."  
  
"Of course. You have been here before. When you return, merely ask one of the servants to show you to your room." She then caught sight of the others. "Are these your traveling companions?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"They shall have rooms in the palace as well. It is the least I can do for what you did for my husband and the city of Lut Gholein."  
  
"I thank you again."  
  
Shara nodded and went back into the palace.  
  
"Interesting woman you chose for a wife," Marko said to Jerhyn.  
  
"Yes. She is magnificent, though lately she has been worrying a lot lately about the rumors of an army of goatmen. Well, we can catch up later. When you return, we must catch up. I will be in my office. Just ask one of the guards to take you there, providing it isn't too late."  
  
"I shan't be long," said Marko, "I will see you in a few hours at most."  
  
"Goodbye Marko."  
  
Marko bowed again and left with Kari and the others behind him.  
  
"You certainly have gotten around a lot," said Qual-Kehk, "You know the king of Lut Gholein and many of its citizens, I presume."  
  
The crowd was still there and followed them. Marko waved and they cheered as he walked along the streets. Soon, however, the crowd dispersed and the people went back to their works. They walked into the marketplace and Marko approached a woman standing in front of a blanket covered with weapons.  
  
"It has been a long time, Fara."  
  
The woman looked up at him and gasped.  
  
"By the light, Marko? Is it you?"  
  
Marko nodded. Fara moved up to him and hugged him.  
  
"You are still alive. I worried that you had gotten yourself killed having adventures."  
  
Fara let him go and looked him over.  
  
"Well, you're no worse than when you left. And you're sporting new weapons too."  
  
"Everyone, meet Fara. She was also a paladin before she retired, but she is still handy with any weapon. Fara, this is Kari, a Mage Slayer, Falvie, a Rogue, and Qual-Kehk, Master at Arms for the clans of the Highland."  
  
Fara studied the two women intently.  
  
"So which of you is Marko's companion?" she asked.  
  
Before Marko could speak Fara silenced him with a wave of her hand. Kari's face was turning beet red while Falvie giggled.  
  
"Neither of us," Falvie answered.  
  
"Then why is this young girl's face turning red?"  
  
Kari's face reddened even more, though partly because of Fara calling her a girl.  
  
"Fara sometimes treats me like a son," Marko suddenly said, "if either of you are wondering why she's asking you."  
  
"And you do need a mother to look after you. Half the time you're running off killing demons, the other half you're getting drunk in a tavern!"  
  
"That sounds more like something Elzix would do," Marko replied.  
  
"Yes. So why have you returned to Lut Gholein? Not to just visit me, of course."  
  
"Actually, you're partially the reason. Fara, I want you to come with me."  
  
Kari wasn't surprised he asked Fara. He had said he was searching for people wed to battle, and Fara certainly looked it.  
  
"Go with you? Where?"  
  
"I'm sure you've heard rumors that the Worldstone protecting this world has been destroyed. Well, they're true."  
  
Fara nodded gravely. "I was afraid of that. But what does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"I'll tell you if you join us. But know this. What I am trying to accomplish is for the good of humanity, and I may be the only one that can do it. However, that does not mean I can do it without help. Qual-Kehk, Kari, and Falvie are traveling with me, and I'm going to need them to accomplish my mission. If you're there, it might make it easier."  
  
"No need for flowery speeches," Fara said, holding her hands up in front of her, "I have wanted to travel around some more and maybe see how much things have changed."  
  
"You're not going to regret this."  
  
Fara snorted. "If I do regret it you'll be the first one to know."  
  
"That I am sure of. We're staying at the palace."  
  
"I'll stay here until you go. Might as well sell off all these weapons before you leave though. I assume I'll need the gold?"  
  
"I have enough to see us through all this," said Marko, "I've salted away a large amount everywhere."  
  
"Good," said Fara, "cause I don't have much on me."  
  
"I'll come back tomorrow to talk some more," said Marko, "I need to go see some other people."  
  
"Meeting old friends. Well Marko, just make sure you don't get stabbed or something."  
  
The four walked off.  
  
"Fara means well," said Marko, "though she does show it in odd ways."  
  
"Who are we going to meet this time?" Falvie asked.  
  
"The owner of the public house."  
  
The two women looked at each other and shrugged as they followed him. An older woman was looking around, her back against them. Marko approached her.  
  
"Hello Atma."  
  
The woman turned around and a look of surprise appeared on her face.  
  
"I thought it was you," she said, "I must thank you again for avenging my husband."  
  
"It was nothing. Radament was a threat to everyone."  
  
"Who have you brought with you?"  
  
"These are my companions. Kari, Falvie, and Qual-Kehk."  
  
"My. All of you look like you're ready to march to war."  
  
"We might have to," said Marko, "There are rumors of trouble in Kehjistan."  
  
"Yes. I had heard that another army of demons had laid siege to Kurast. Or at least an army of demons is gathering. If they attack, Kurast may not survive another siege."  
  
"Dark times never really left us," said Kari, "Even after Baal and his brothers were killed."  
  
"Well, perhaps Marko here will be able to finish what he started with warriors such as you helping him."  
  
"I hope you have been well, Atma."  
  
"I am fine. I am not in danger of committing suicide, if that is what you are worried about. Elzix doesn't let me."  
  
Marko nodded deeply.  
  
"Perhaps I will see you again before I leave," he said, "Say hello to Elzix for me. I have to return to the palace."  
  
"Of course. Thank you for coming to see me Marko. If I ever had another son, I would wish it to be you."  
  
Marko smiled and waved as he turned to leave. The other three also bade farewell to Atma and followed Marko.  
  
"Who is she?" Kari asked.  
  
"Atma is the owner of the public house. She lost her husband and son to Radament before I arrived. I went down into the sewers and killed the creature."  
  
"You've certainly done a lot of things," said Kari.  
  
"You could ask Falvie about some of the things I did before fighting Andariel. She knows most of the little adventures I had."  
  
"I think I will."  
  
"Qual-Kehk, there is a man named Lysander. Find him and tell him I want twenty bottles of the headache medicine I commissioned him to make." Marko threw him a small purse of gold and handed him a note. "Pay him with this and if he gives you any trouble show him the note. If he still is stubborn come to me so I can bash some sense into his head."  
  
Qual-Kehk grinned. "It will be my pleasure. I will see you back at the palace."  
  
Marko nodded and continued to the palace. The two guards outside let the three in without question.  
  
"I suggest the two of you get some rest," he said, "Tomorrow we'll be doing a lot of research to find the Shield of the Just."  
  
"Where are you going?" Falvie asked.  
  
"I still have an appointment with Jerhyn."  
  
"Come on," Kari said to Falvie, "You still have to tell me about Marko's adventures."  
  
The two women walked off and left Marko. He easily found his way to Jerhyn's study. He knocked on the doorframe and Jerhyn looked up.  
  
"Marko! Come in, come in."  
  
Marko walked in and sat down across from the king.  
  
"Now, we have so much to catch up on. I've heard that you are now called the Hand of Light, and you are the one that killed the three Prime Evils."  
  
"That was me. Took me a long time and a lot of grief, but I did it."  
  
"You must tell me how you did it."  
  
"Well, there wasn't much to it. I first had to find the Prime Evils, and once I did, I just attacked them. Mephisto I took down outside of Kurast, Diablo I had to go down to Hell to fight, and Baal I went to the Highlands and defeated him in the Worldstone Chamber."  
  
"There are rumors that the Worldstone has been destroyed," Jerhyn said carefully.  
  
"Completely true. I have two of its shards with me right now. Tyrael didn't have much of a choice."  
  
"Tyrael destroyed the Worldstone?" Jerhyn said in surprise, "But why would an Archangel do such a thing?"  
  
"Because if he didn't, you or I wouldn't be standing here. He bought us time. With a corrupt Worldstone, the legions of Hell could pour through uncontrolled, not having to send in forces group by group. With the Worldstone destroyed, the barrier between us, the High Heavens, and Hell are falling, but at least we have some time to prepare."  
  
"Yes. I will have to increase the size of the guard."  
  
"But you still have time," said Marko, "Tell me, how is it that you become married after I leave?"  
  
Jerhyn smiled. "Shara came to the city with another merchant caravan. She is noble born and when I laid my eyes on her, I fell in love immediately. I was still putting the city back together after you had destroyed the armies of demons that surrounded Lut Gholein. I got to know her and I asked her to marry me. I was the happiest man alive when she accepted."  
  
"And you didn't invite me," Marko said in a fake hurt voice.  
  
Jerhyn laughed, seeing through it.  
  
"We did not know where you were! No one did. I sent messengers out using the waypoints, but they returned with no news. I had wanted you to be my best man."  
  
"I would have come if I only knew. Unless this happened while I was down in Hell. There I probably could not have come."  
  
"Ah well, it matters not. That is all in the past. But tell me. You say that I have some time before the barriers fall completely. How much time do I have?"  
  
"Enough to raise an army. And hopefully enough time for me to accomplish my mission."  
  
"And what mission is that?"  
  
"Let's just say that if I accomplish my mission, you might not need that army for very long."  
  
Jerhyn nodded. "Then I wish you good fortune and success. Is there anything I can do to help you?"  
  
"There are two things actually."  
  
"And what do they be?"  
  
"I believe that a mystic shield lays either beneath Lut Gholein or around it. Perhaps your library and archives hold a key to its location."  
  
"Search to your heart's content. But why do you need this shield?"  
  
"Because I can harness its power to complete my task."  
  
"Very well. What is the other thing?"  
  
Marko sighed. "I have been gathering warriors to travel with me. Currently four have joined me. I want to add a fifth."  
  
"I hope you do not mean me," said Jerhyn, "for I am no warrior."  
  
"No, not you, but someone that you might be reluctant to let go."  
  
"And who is that?"  
  
"Greiz."  
  
Jerhyn settled back into his chair and stared at Marko for several silent seconds.  
  
"You are serious."  
  
"I am," said Marko, "I need veterans, men and women that I can trust to have my back when the time comes."  
  
Jerhyn let a smile creep onto his face.  
  
"If Greiz is willing to go with you, I will not stop him. However, you may need to convince him with gold."  
  
"That is something I have plenty of. Providing no one raided my account."  
  
"Your money is fine," Jerhyn assured him, "Your gold is taking up a very large amount of space in the vault. I had not thought you were this rich, but it seems you are."  
  
"Well, I'll speak to you tomorrow if you want to continue our discussion," said Marko, "I have to find Greiz and make him my offer."  
  
"Of course. You must take time to dine with us tomorrow. My wife would love to get to know you better."  
  
"I will be there. Should I wear something formal?"  
  
"What you have on is fine, though you may want to slip out of that armor."  
  
Marko smiled. The suit he wore under the armor would probably do, and the cape would make him look flashier.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Jerhyn."  
  
"Goodnight Marko."  
Kari exited the bathroom and entered the room she shared with Falvie. The two had insisted on sleeping in one room together. Both had become closer after their travels. The two were wearing bathrobes for the moment. Falvie was lying on the bed and Kari sat down next to her.  
  
"So, tell me about Marko's adventures," she said to Falvie.  
  
"Well, when Marko first came to our camp, Kashya was very suspicious of him. However, Akara needed his help and asked for it. Demons had gathered in the Den of Evil and she was afraid that they were massing for an attack on our camp. Marko went in and cleaned it out completely. That was the first thing he did. Kashya then asked him to kill Blood Raven, one of the captains that led the Rogues against Diablo in Tristram. She had been corrupted and brought back from the dead. Marko waited a little while before confronting her. When Kashya demanded an explanation on why he was waiting, he told her he wasn't about to charge in and fight Blood Raven unprepared. Apparently he was discovering he could use Necromancer skills and was trying to figure out how to summon a golem. Well, he learned and killed Blood Raven. He earned Kashya's respect, if not her trust."  
  
"And he did all this before he had even mastered his true powers? I'm surprised it took him so long to kill the Prime Evils."  
  
"He certainly makes all of his accomplishments seem easy. Anyways, Akara then asked him to rescue Deckard Cain. I'm sure you've heard of him."  
  
"The Horadrim," said Kari, "He's supposed to be the last one of his kind."  
  
"Yeah. Well, Marko had to travel to Tristram using a portal and he complained about the entire battle. He had to take down two camps of fallen ones, corrupt Rogues, giants, and other things just to get to the portal. After that, he was set upon by goatmen, more fallen ones, shamans, skeletons, and a very powerful zombie that Cain said used to be the town's blacksmith. From Marko's description of the battle, it was long and very hard. Cain returned first but Marko followed a few hours later through a waypoint, proclaiming that Tristram was free of demons."  
  
"How does the man do all this?"  
  
"I don't know," said Falvie, "but he's done it. Of course, he then heard of an evil Countess that lived in the Black Marsh. He just had to go and investigate. Nearly got one of my sisters killed, but in the end he came back with her alive and with a huge pile of gold and equipment, though both were hurt bad."  
  
"Did he ever tell any of you what exactly happened?" Kari asked.  
  
"Well, my sister did tell me that they found the ruins of the tower that the Countess lived in. They went down into the cellar and found the Countess and fought a small army of demons. They did manage to win but the golem and two skeletons that Marko took with them were all dead. I was rather surprised that the golem was dead. It was very powerful."  
  
"So what else did he do?" Kari pressed.  
  
"He got back Charsi's magical malus. It had been left behind in the barracks at the monastery when we abandoned it. He killed a large monster called the Smith to get it back. When he came back there was a large hole in his armor and he wouldn't speak much of it. We had to drag the news out of him. Charsi took a while fixing his armor, so he used a spare he had and went out again to fight."  
  
"How bad could the fighting have been? I mean, a big hole in the armor does happen from time to time. Even I've had that problem."  
  
"He went down there with two skeleton warriors, a skeleton mage, and a golem. He came back alone."  
  
"Okay, maybe he did have a lot of trouble," Kari admitted, "How powerful was this Smith?"  
  
"Strong enough that none of us ever dared to go down there by ourselves or even in groups."  
  
"So, after he got the malus, what did he do?"  
  
"He did a lot of things," said Falvie, "He cleared out everything in the monastery. When I went with him down there, bodies littered the entire place. I wasn't sure how we were going to clean the place. I mean, the bodies of giant spiders, fallen ones, skeletons, all kinds of things were down there. It was rather ridiculous. Nothing was alive except for a few bats. When I asked to face Andariel with him, he said no. When I said I would follow him, he had Kashya tie me up until he finished her off. He created two portals leading there and back and came back a lot. Sometimes he came back poisoned, but other times he just needed to heal. However, every time he came back he summoned another golem and used his skeleton armor trick. When he came back for the last time, he was rather proud of himself. He claimed he had killed Andariel. Of course, everyone was happy. A dozen of my sisters, myself included, went with him back into the monastery and they came back and confirmed his story. Andariel's body was lying on the ground."  
  
"And of course from there you had to start cleaning up everything," said Kari, "How long did it take?"  
  
"Well, dragging out the body took a long time, but it was cleaning all the blood and guts that were left behind from Marko's battle that took the longest. Akara had to cast a lot of spells to remove all that."  
  
"And he traveled to Lut Gholein, where we are all here now."  
  
"Yeah. I suggest we get some sleep. Marko did say that tomorrow we would be doing a lot of research and I might fall asleep from reading if we don't get some rest now."  
  
Kari giggled and nodded in agreement.  
  
"I never was good at studying," she said, "Goodnight Falvie."  
  
"Goodnight Kari."  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
Z98 


	5. Into the Depths

Chapter 5: Into the Depths  
  
The entire group was in the library after breakfast. Kari recognized Greiz, but wasn't sure why he was present.  
  
"Everyone," said Marko, "You all know Greiz. Well, he'll be coming with us."  
  
"So Marko dragged you into this as well?" Fara said in an amused tone.  
  
"He didn't exactly drag me into it," said Greiz, "Heck, I'm kind of bored with all the demons dead and nothing to do. Jerhyn is raising an army, but he already has some fine captains. Marko said he needed help in something, and I trust him. Might as well follow the rest of you wherever Marko leads you."  
  
"I hope you still have that attitude when we reach our final destination," said Marko, "It is not going to be pretty."  
  
"How bad can it be?" said Greiz, "I've fought more demons than I want to think about."  
  
"And you'll fight more before you're done. So, let's get to work. The information on the Shield of the Just is in here somewhere. If you find anything interesting regarding some sort of equipment meant to protect you or something, show me. Let's get to work."  
  
The group dispersed and started pulling out books and old scrolls carefully. Marko took out the diary of a mage that had lived in Lut Gholein and started flipping through it. There had to be a clue somewhere in all these books. Some were old beyond belief. Kari grabbed a book about demons. She knew that it probably wouldn't have much on the Shield of the Just, but it might have something about the caves and tunnels around Lut Gholein. She opened the book and found that she had turned to the page about Blood Knights. It had a picture of a large figure wearing black armor and a helmet that had large horns coming out of it. The figure also wielded a large black sword and a skull shield.  
  
'Blood Knights are the elite guards of the forces of Chaos. Few humans can face them, though many warriors have tried. The only ones that have survived against such powerful demons are the mightiest and are equipped with powerful weapons. However, in every account, every warrior or knight that ever defeated a Blood Knight became one after their death.'  
  
"Wow, bad luck for anyone that finds them," Kari muttered to herself. She continued reading.  
  
'It is because of this that warriors no longer attempt to fight these creatures. Female warriors and mages of either sex, however, have killed them and remained free. That is why women and mages are the only ones that face these creatures of Hell.'  
  
She shook her head. It was rather hard to believe, but she turned to another page. This one was about dark mages. This at least she knew about.  
  
'There are few dark mages in the world, as the Mage Slayers have killed most. However, a few have survived and gathered enough power to make themselves almost impossible to track down and kill. Of these, several have also gathered large armies of mages that they have tempted with dark magic. Most such armies were destroyed in the Mage Wars, but rumors persist in several armies still remaining.'  
  
Kari hoped that was not true. Dark mages could level entire cities together, and an army could defeat any force sent to oppose them, short of the combined might of all of the mage clans in Kehjistan. She flipped through a few other pages and came to a section on Tal Rasha, the mage that had trapped Baal's soul in his body and was eventually corrupted. The section documented how he led the mages in their hunt of the three Prime Evils and their defeat of Baal. The Tomb of Tal Rasha was somewhere outside of Lut Gholein, and supposedly lost. However, Kari had heard that Marko had found the tomb and defeated Tal Rasha. She skipped the rest of the section and turned to a page about the Arcane Sanctuary, the lair of the summoner Horazon. A phrase caught her attention and she reread it.  
  
'The Summoner used the power of the protector to shield himself from demons, but in his vanity he sealed the power of justice and hid it within the desert.'  
  
"Marko!"  
  
Marko walked over to her.  
  
"Read this."  
  
He took the book and read the sentence Kari pointed at.  
  
"Well. It seems the shield slipped through my fingers the first time I came here. Good work. However, the problem is that the Arcane Sanctuary really doesn't exist anymore. That would be the most likely place that he hid it."  
  
"What happened to it?" Kari asked.  
  
"I kind of destroyed the entire place. I was mobbed by demons and had to collapse the entire thing to get out alive."  
  
"Oh," Kari said, "Well, it is supposed to be in the desert. It might not be in the Sanctury."  
  
"Better that it had been. Would have been easier to search."  
  
Just then Qual-Kehk and Falvie appeared.  
  
"What did you find?" Falvie asked them.  
  
"Kari found a clue," Marko replied, "though we'll still need to keep looking. This is only a piece of the puzzle. The rest is still out there."  
  
The two nodded and went back among the shelves. Marko sat down next to Kari and set down the book he had brought with him. Kari took back the book she had been reading.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Kari asked.  
  
"Keep looking. There must be a hint to where Horazon hid the shield. Look up references to Horazon and the Aranoch Desert."  
  
"What is that book you have?"  
  
"A very large reference regarding the weapons of the High Heaven and Hell. Did you know that Shadowfang can be used by an angel as well and still have all of its power? Rather interesting things."  
  
"Does it have anything about Azurewrath?"  
  
"Yes, though I never did find out what happened to that weapon. Even after I defeated Izual, I couldn't find it."  
  
"You defeated a fallen angel?"  
  
"Yes. Oh, you don't know too much about my journey in Hell. Well, be glad you don't. It is not a pretty place."  
  
The two resumed their reading and continued doing so until a servant brought down food for them. The two thanked the servant and continued reading as they ate. Finally Fara appeared.  
  
"I think I found something," she said, "It is extremely vague but it might be our best shot."  
  
Marko took the parchment and read it. It was part of a diary of some wanderer that had traveled through the desert.  
  
'I found a large underground temple filled with gold, gems, runes, and other magical items. However, all of the gates were locked and I could not break them. There was also a golden chest in the center of the room yet I could not open it. I believe that a great treasure is hidden within this chest, as it is large enough to hold a gothic shield.'  
  
"I assume the words 'gothic shield' caught your attention," said Marko.  
  
"Right. I think I know where this is. It isn't too far from the city, but people rarely visit that area and not few people know of it."  
  
"Take us there now," said Marko, "We'll travel by portal. Just show me where it is on a map."  
  
Fara nodded and they gathered the others. They left the library and Marko told a servant to inform Jerhyn that they would be going out to retrieve something. The servant nodded and ran off. When they had just come out of the palace a red portal opened and dozens of demons in armor appeared.  
  
"Blood knights!" Kari screamed, "Qual-Kehk, Marko, don't use melee weapons! You have to use magic!"  
  
"I know," Marko said in a annoyed tone.  
  
Qual-Kehk retreated while Marko unleashed a massive lightning surge. It passed right through the creature without affecting it.  
  
"Right," he muttered, "They're immune to lightning."  
  
Fara jumped straight into battle and attacked the closest Blood Knight. The two locked blades and both tried to overpower the other. Kari leapt into battle and stabbed the Blood Knight from behind. It staggered but refused to fall. Fara sliced off its head but the body continued to flail about, trying to hit anything close to it. Suddenly it was incinerated. Kari looked behind her and saw a mage standing with his staff raised. Marko fired a bone spear and it punched its way through the armor of the creatures. He then summoned a two fire golems and ordered them to attack. They ran into the Blood Knights and knocked three down. The fire golems tore at their opponents' armor and flesh, their flames only slightly damaging the Blood Knights. The city guards arrived but Greiz made them stay back. Another creature suddenly appeared from the portal before closing. It was a Soul Burner.  
  
"Bloody hell," Marko muttered.  
  
He pulled out his sword and charged at the succubi. She fired off a fireball but Marko cut right through it with his sword. He slashed at her but the Soul Burner was fast. She clawed at him in return, but neither seemed to be able to defeat the other. Marko then shot a massive blast of lightning which took the succubi by surprise. It knocked her backwards and Marko took the chance to plunge his sword right into her stomach. She screamed and as Marko drove the sword upwards, a sword of fire suddenly appeared in her hand and she slashed Marko in the side. Marko flinched but continued cutting the Soul Burner. The succubi continued to lash out at Marko, burning his face and chest. After a few seconds, he finally managed to severe her head and the flame sword disappeared from her hands. The Soul Burner's body fell. Marko collapsed and thought he heard someone calling to him. He looked up and saw Kari holding him up.  
  
"Go get the shield," he murmured to her, "You have to get it. This attack was meant to stop us. You have to go."  
  
He then fainted.  
  
"Marko!"  
  
"We have to get him inside," said Fara, "Come on!"  
  
Kari and Falvie picked him up and followed the others inside. They had killed all of the Blood Knights but had been unable to help Marko. They took him to the nearest room and laid him on the bed. Jerhyn suddenly appeared.  
  
"What happened!" he demanded.  
  
"We were attacked when we left the palace," Greiz explained, "Blood Knights and a Soul Burner appeared. Marko fought the Soul Burner by himself but she injured him badly. We need a healer."  
  
"Drognan!" Jerhyn ordered, "and get Lysander!"  
  
Drognan was already behind them and moved to Marko's bedside. He tried to begin healing Marko, but the concentration on his face showed just how difficult that was.  
  
"We have to get the shield," Kari said urgently, "Marko said to me that the attack was to stop us. Someone else is after the shield!"  
  
"Blast the shield!" said Jerhyn, "Marko is dying and the only thing you can think about is a shield?"  
  
"You don't get it," said Qual-Kehk, "Marko meant to use the shield's power to seed another Worldstone. If the shield falls into the wrong hands, he may not be able to do it!"  
  
Jerhyn gasped. "How many men do you need? I will send half the guard with you!"  
  
"No," said Fara, "We go alone. Greiz, you and Falvie stay here and watch over Marko. Don't argue with me! Kari, Qual-Kehk, let's get that damn shield. We can use the waypoint."  
  
The three ran out of the palace to the waypoint. Fara set the stones in the correct order and they disappeared. The three reappeared outside large cave.  
Marko was still lying on the bed, Drognan having great difficulty healing the wounds the Soul Burner had inflicted on him. Lysander had brewed several potions and they seemed to help. Suddenly Marko sat upright. Immediately he screamed out in pain. Drognan and Atma forced him to lie down.  
  
"Your wounds haven't healed yet," said Atma, "Rest."  
  
"Where's Kari?" he asked.  
  
"She went off with the barbarian and Fara to retrieve whatever you were looking for," Atma informed him, "Don't worry."  
  
Marko tried to get out of the bed.  
  
"I have to go help her."  
  
"She isn't a defenseless little girl needing you to rescue her," Drognan said as he forced Marko to lie back down, "Kari is quite capable and she can take care of herself."  
  
"No, I have to go."  
  
However, Marko was too weak to even stop Drognan and Atma from keeping him down. Lysander walked in a few seconds later and had Marko drink down another potion.  
  
"Huh, with all this commotion one would think you liked the girl."  
  
Marko was panting at the exertion of trying to get up and didn't reply. However, Atma and Drognan had both seen him flinch slightly.  
  
"What is wrong?" Atma said, "Kari seems like a fine young woman, and she seems fond of you as well."  
  
"No, I'm too dangerous. She has to stay away from me."  
  
The assembled looked at Marko as if he was insane. Marko kept struggling, though his efforts were pitiful. Something was very wrong with him right now but the others did not know what to do.  
  
"Marko, drink this," Lysander instructed.  
  
Marko drank down the potion reluctantly, and finally his wounds started to close. After a few more seconds Marko got up and let out a sigh.  
  
"Something's coming," he said, "We have to be ready. Greiz, inform Jerhyn that an army of the undead are approaching Lut Gholein. I suggest all of the guards and mercenaries be aroused. This will not be pretty."  
  
"As you command, Marko."  
  
"Drognan, find any other mages in the city and get them ready for a battle, and I mean a big one. We're going to need all the help we can get."  
  
"Marko, you should rest," Drognan persisted.  
  
"I'll rest when Hell freezes over," Marko replied, "There's not enough time and we need to get ready or even more people are going to die."  
  
Drognan nodded before walking off.  
  
"Marko."  
  
"Atma, just trust me. I can handle this."  
  
Atma nodded sadly. "Just don't get killed. You've been like a second son to me."  
  
Marko hugged her before walking out with Lysander.  
  
"So how are you going to go about defeating this army?" Lysander asked.  
  
"Get together a bunch of explosive potions and distribute them to the civilians," said Marko, "We might need them if they breach the city walls."  
  
"Right. Marko, you sure you're up to this?"  
  
"We need every man that can fight. Let's go."  
  
Lysander ran off as Jerhyn and Shara appeared.  
  
"Marko, what are you doing up? You need rest."  
  
"I'm fine Jerhyn. You need to muster the guard. An army's coming and we need to make sure the city holds out."  
  
"I have already sent one of my captains to do so. The guards are preparing for a siege."  
  
"This won't be a siege," said Marko, "This will be a full-out invasion. Get your men ready. I suspect there will be heavy casualties in the battle to come."  
  
Marko walked outside and found much of the guard already rallied. They quickly manned the positions on the city walls and towers. Soon the lookouts spotted a large army approaching.  
"It's down here," said Fara as she walked into the cave.  
  
They followed her down the cave and into a large chamber. Stone columns carved from the cave seemed to hold up the roof of the chamber. Intricate designs decorated the roof.  
  
"The wanderer found a secret entrance into another section of the temple," said Fara, "I think I've figured out where it is."  
  
She felt along a wall and found a switch. She pushed it in and a wall moved aside. The three entered the chamber and found dozens of Soul Burners waiting for them.  
  
"Bloody hell," Qual-Kehk muttered.  
  
The Soul Burners took flight and charged them. Kari ducked and sliced one in half as she flew above her. Fara casted an aura spell and suddenly the Soul Burners turned blue from cold. Kari ran through several of them, smashing them to pieces. Others charged and forced her to retreat.  
  
"Kari!"  
  
Kari turned around and Qual-Kehk threw her a large war staff. Her Katars dropped onto the hooks on her belt and Kari knocked back several succubi. They all seemed to be afraid of the staff and tried to attack her from behind. Fara joined the battle again and severed many heads. Kari looked at the staff and saw arcane writings embedded onto the staff. For some reason, she could read them. She read it and pointed the staff at a group of succubi. The eight succubi exploded while others by them were thrown onto the ground or wall by the force of the explosion. Kari gasped when she realized what this staff was. However, she didn't have enough time to stay surprised. More succubi rushed her and she chanted again. The staff thundered again and more succubi exploded. Fara and Qual-Kehk were now right beside her and they cut down the few Soul Burners that hadn't been killed by Kari.  
  
"Very impressive," Fara complimented, "Qual-Kehk, how did you know to give the staff to Kari?"  
  
"She is a mage slayer," said Qual-Kehk, "I have seen staves like this before and they always have magic in them. I thought perhaps she might know how to use this one. I would think she did. What staff is it?"  
  
"The Archangel's Staff of Apocalypse."  
  
Their eyes went wide as they stared at the staff. One of the most powerful staves in the world, they were so rare that it was rumored only three people had them.  
  
"Where did you find this?" Fara asked Qual-Kehk.  
  
"It was on that weapons rack," he pointed.  
  
There were two weapons racks by the door, one on each side. The other still held a staff. Kari walked over and picked it up.  
  
"The Archangel's Staff of Nova. By the light, these are two of the most coveted staves in the world! How did they get here?"  
  
Fara took the Staff of Nova from Kari.  
  
"Well, now they are ours. I personally like the Nova spell. The Staff of Apocalypse should be yours Kari. You certainly earned it."  
  
Qual-Kehk nodded. "Besides, I certainly can't use it. I have no magic."  
  
Suddenly red light filled the chamber. The three shielded their eyes until it disappeared. A man in a red cloak stood at the center of the room in front of the golden chest.  
  
"So, you are the ones that are seeking the Shield of the Just. Well, I'm afraid that you cannot have it. I will be the only one to possess it."  
  
"Think again," said Fara.  
  
Kari and Fara raised their staves and Qual-Kehk readied his battleaxe.  
  
"The Staves of Nova and Apocalypse. Well, perhaps you will be a challenge. We shall see."  
  
The man drew a long curved sword and raised it against them. Fire suddenly appeared, wrapped around the blade. He swung the sword through the air and the fire charged at the three. They rolled out of the way and the fire spell struck the doorway and nearly collapsed it. Kari chanted again and the Apocalypse Spell struck the man. He stumbled back but remained on his feet with an arm missing. Fara casted the Nova Spell and it too struck right on target. This time the man didn't even flinch.  
  
"He's immune to lightning spells!" Kari yelled to Fara.  
  
Fara nodded and took out her crystal sword. She and Qual-Kehk charged the man but a gust of wind threw them hard against the wall, knocking them unconscious. Kari steeled herself and raised the staff again. Another Apocalypse Spell struck the man and seemed to destroy part of his side. He looked like a zombie now, with an arm and part of his side destroyed. Kari struck him again and again, but he blocked one at the cost of his sword. He barely dodged another one, losing his foot in the process. He suddenly sent out a powerful shockwave. Kari was barely able to stand her ground, using the staff to shield herself. The cages that barred the way to the gold, gems, runes, and mystical weapons were shattered by the magical energy the two were using to fight. Slowly the gold chest in the center started to open. A shield shaped like a heart but the top pointing upward floated out, its light brightening the entire chamber. Kari quickly ran towards the shield. The man was at the opposite end of the room and had as much distance to cover as she. He moved surprisingly quickly for a man that was missing body parts, and both leapt for the shield at the same time. The light was so bright this close to the shield that Kari had to shut her eyes. She felt her hands fall on something and grabbed it. She hit the ground and rolled back up to her feet. She held the Shield of the Just in her hands. The man had landed on his feet as well. Kari gasped as the missing body parts regenerated. He glared at her and struck out at her with a powerful fire spell. Kari raised the shield and it was deflected. The symbol on the shield, a blue pentagram, started glowing. The five triangles inside the pentagon became bright orange one by one. A beam of white light shot out of the pentagon in the center and punched right through the man. He screamed as the light consumed his body, tearing it apart. Kari turned her head away but held the shield still. Finally, the scream disappeared and the beam extinguished itself. When Kari looked again, there was no trace of the man. The light from the chest and the shield had receded and the chamber returned to normal. Fara and Qual-Kehk had awakened and were picking themselves up.  
  
"I assume that mysterious man is gone," said Fara.  
  
Kari nodded. "We have the Shield of the Just, and we also have two staves. I think we have everything we need from this place. Jerhyn can use the rest of the equipment for his army."  
  
Qual-Kehk nodded but Fara shook her head.  
  
"The runes are too powerful. We should at least take those. If they aren't handled properly they could become dangerous."  
  
Kari reluctantly nodded. The three of them searched through the rooms and found all of the runes. They also looked in the chest and found five triangular gems and a circular rune.  
  
"These look like they fit in the shield," said Fara.  
  
Kari took them out and one by one put them in the empty spots. When they were all in they seemed to sink into the shield and disappear, only their surface appearing.  
  
"Let's go," said Kari, "We're finished here."  
  
They exited the temple and used the waypoint to return to Lut Gholein. When they returned, they found several squadrons of men returning to the city. They made their way back to the palace and found Marko and the others standing outside.  
  
"Marko!" Kari yelled. She ran up to him and hugged him. "You should be resting."  
  
"I'm fine," he replied, and held her tightly. "We had a rough battle with an army of the undead but Jerhyn's forces were enough to defeat them. For some odd reason they all suddenly died."  
  
Kari let him go and showed him the shield.  
  
"I think it's because I killed their leader. He was also trying to get the shield. Anyways, here it is."  
  
She offered it to him but Marko shook his head.  
  
"It's yours. You earned it by fighting for it."  
  
Surprise was written all over Kari's face.  
  
"But don't you need it?" she said.  
  
"As long as you're there when I plant the Worldstone, its power will aid me."  
  
Kari smiled and hugged him again.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you're okay, though you should still be in bed."  
  
Fara cleared her throat and Kari let Marko go reluctantly.  
  
"We also brought back a bunch of runes and two staves," Fara informed them, "The staves are the Archangel's Staff of Nova and Apocalypse."  
  
Everyone else but Marko gasped. He merely shrugged.  
  
"They'll be very handy once we face whatever is waiting in Kehjistan. The runes we'll need a little time to study."  
  
Fara nodded. "It seems you've also had an eventful afternoon."  
  
"Well, let us just say that I never want to fight while I'm healing again. Bloody hard on a man."  
  
"You shouldn't have fought at all," Kari chided, "Now, back to bed with you."  
  
"He's fine," Falvie said to Kari, "I checked his wounds right after we had beaten off the last of the goatmen. His wounds have healed already."  
  
"Wow. Fast healer. Well, what do we do now?"  
  
"Get some bloody rest," said Marko, "Tomorrow we head for Kurast."  
  
Kari could almost hear her parents lecturing her, but she would follow Marko anywhere.  
"We will have to hold on that dinner I owe you," Jerhyn said, "Perhaps when you have accomplished your mission."  
  
"If I succeed, I will come for another visit."  
  
"Don't be foolish. Of course you will succeed. Right, Shara?"  
  
"You are the Hand of Light," Shara said, "If you cannot succeed, no one else can. You will succeed. I command it."  
  
She smiled as she said the last part. Marko bowed one last time before taking his leave. Meshif was waiting by his ship and Marko and the others boarded quickly. He casted off and the crowds gathered by the docks cheered as the ship left. Many waved and Marko and the others waved back. Fara and Greiz almost looked sad at leaving their homes, but they did their best to hide it.  
  
"How long to Kurast?" Marko asked Meshif.  
  
"Two weeks if we have good weather," the captain answered.  
  
Marko nodded. He looked up at the sky and it seemed to brighten. A strong wind, strong enough to push the ship faster but not strong enough to snap the sails, started blowing. Meshif grinned as Marko continued to look up at the sky.  
  
"One week if this keeps up," Meshif promised, "I do not know how you do it, but I would give you free passage on my ship any day."  
  
Marko nodded as he continued to concentrate. Kari watched with a smile as Marko continued to manipulate the weather. She had grown closer to him and knew that he was closer to her as well. Marko certainly didn't try to keep her safe as many men would try, but he did caution her and did what he could to help her. That was the kind of man she wanted to be with. However, her parents might not approve. They probably wouldn't believe that Marko was the Hand of Light. Of course, in the end they would have to considering Marko most definitely knew some of the people in Kurast. She just hoped that he knew enough respectable people to convince her parents.  
  
"Kari, you can stop staring at Marko now."  
  
Kari's face grew red from Falvie's comment. She turned to face the Rogue and glared at her. Falvie kept smiling and walked away from her. Kari shook her head. She then saw Marko staring at her. He laughed at turned his gaze back to the sky. Kari couldn't control the blush on her cheeks. She sighed and went below decks. Maybe a drink would cool her off.  
"You're going to pace right through the bottom of the ship if you keep at it," Greiz said to Marko.  
  
"Huh? Oh, I hadn't noticed."  
  
"Marko, what is wrong? You've been acting like this for the past three days. Something's the matter and you just won't tell us."  
  
"It's Kari."  
  
"What's wrong with the lass? She seems to be in perfect health, and rather feisty too. She and Fara are getting along fine."  
  
"She can't stay close to me," Marko replied, "It's too dangerous for her."  
  
"And it isn't dangerous for the rest of us?"  
  
"That danger I can protect all of you from," said Marko, "and it's also a danger all of you can fight. However, it's more personal with her."  
  
"Oh, you've fallen in love with her and now you're worried those feelings will interfere with whatever you're trying to do."  
  
"What I'm trying to do is replant the Worldstone," said Marko, "If something goes wrong, all of us are dead."  
  
"Listen here, Marko. All of us are going to see this through to the end, and I mean the end. If I have to die ensuring that you succeed, so be it. Without you, I'm as good as dead anyways."  
  
"And you'd risk your life for me even if I would save Kari over you?"  
  
"I try not to think about it," said Greiz, "Besides, I'm a mercenary. I'm not paid to be pampered. Don't worry about it. Kari can take care of yourself, and I most certainly can take care of myself."  
  
"Let's hope so," said Marko, "I'm going up to get some air."  
  
He swept his cloak to the side with one hand and walked up the stairs. The open ocean air seemed to help him straighten his thoughts, but the salty aftertaste didn't help. What he didn't see was Kari standing at the other end of the ship, looking at him.  
  
Kari had come up for some fresh air to clear her head. What she found was Marko and her head being scrambled all over again. For some reason she couldn't tear her gaze away from him. Marko certainly looked handsome with him looking out into the sea, and he was even funny at times. But he was hiding something from all of them, and Kari kept sensing that it would change everything; from the relationship he had with her, to how the people of the world would regard him. Wait, relationship with her? Kari shook her head. Strange things were popping up in her head.  
  
"If you keep staring at him, he might notice."  
  
Kari spun around and found Fara standing behind her.  
  
"I didn't hear you coming," said Kari.  
  
"I still retain some of my stealth skills," Fara replied, "So what is on your mind? A face like yours shouldn't have so much worry on it."  
  
Kari smiled weakly, but it was an effort to even do that.  
  
"It's about Marko, isn't it?"  
  
Kari nodded. "He's hiding something. I don't really know what it is, but it might be dangerous to him and us."  
  
"He's trusting us with a lot," said Fara, "Have some faith in him. He did defeat the Prime Evils."  
  
Kari again nodded. However, she hoped Marko knew what he was doing. Just then, his head turned and he saw her. Kari couldn't help but turn away, a blush appearing on her face. Fara smiled at the young Mage-Slayer. Though she may be an expert warrior, she still had much to learn about men.  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
I normally don't write Diablo stuff, but this topic was just too interesting to stay off of. And just for the record, I've never actually beaten the game. I have the game and the expansion pack, but I've never made a serious effort to beat the game. I've watch my friends beat it and such, so I have a feel for the game itself. Currently, I'm in Lut Gholein and the farthest I've ventured is the second level of the Harlem. By the way, I'm a Necromancer. That's my favorite character, and that's also why Marko has the skills of a Necromancer. He's also really good with the bow, something that I show a little of in the first chapter.  
  
Z98 


	6. Shadow of Shadows

Damn it, I hate Duriel! That demon cost me about sixteen to twenty-four thousand gold! The range is that big because I don't remember exactly how many times my Rogue got killed and I had to resurrect her. I also hate the Summoner. I was actually having a very fun time in the Arcane Sanctuary when suddenly he shows up and kills me. Now, I know he isn't strong vitality wise, but his spells can do a lot of damage. Besides, I haven't had the chance to pick up something that helps me with elemental resistance and such. Of course, after I went back and retrieved my stuff, he died about five seconds later. Now that is a bit more impressive than how the Countess did, which died in about eight seconds with all of her guards.  
  
Master of Darkness  
  
Chapter 6: Shadow of Shadows  
  
Kari tried to stay calm as she prepared to knock on Marko's door. After waiting another minute, she finally knocked on the door. Marko opened it a few seconds later, still in his robes.  
  
"Oh! You just got up," said Kari, "I'll come back later."  
  
"It's okay," said Marko, "did you need something?"  
  
"Well, uh, I, uh, wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Nice to see you can still talk," Marko said with a smile, "Come in and make yourself comfortable."  
  
Kari walked into Marko's found and found that it was very similar to hers. It had a bed, a large chest to put clothes and personal belongings, and a table built into the wall with two benches.  
  
"So what can I do for you?" Marko asked.  
  
"Well, Fara kept saying that I needed to talk to you, so I took her advice," said Kari.  
  
"That still doesn't tell me what you need to talk about," Marko replied as he finished washing his face. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, no, everything's fine. But, Marko, how do you feel about me?"  
  
Marko had just put on some pants when Kari spoke and froze. He finished putting them on a few seconds later and looked up at her.  
  
"Why do you ask that?"  
  
"Because I have to know," said Kari, "I need to know how I feel about you."  
  
Kari's heart was beating insanely fast and she felt as if she would burn up.  
  
"What I feel about you?"  
  
Marko approached her standing as tall as he could, and Kari couldn't help but back away. She finally was against the wall.  
  
"You sure you want to know?" Marko asked.  
  
Kari nodded dumbly. Marko was right in front of her, without a shirt on, and now she felt as if she really was o fire. Marko leaned down and kissed her. Not a peck on the cheek, or a polite peck on the mouth, but a real kiss. Kari drank it in, unable to contain her emotions. They would have gone on a lot longer but someone pounded on Marko's door. The two jumped and Kari couldn't help but blush and smile at Marko. He returned the smile, but kept his face calm otherwise. He put on a shirt and opened the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We're going to dock soon," said Meshif, "I suggest you get your stuff ready."  
  
"Very well."  
  
Marko closed the door but Meshif saw Kari and gave Marko a look. Marko sighed and started getting his stuff ready.  
  
"I suggest you do the same," he said to Kari.  
  
Kari nodded and left the room. Now she knew.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Meshif's ship docked in the harbor of Kurast. Kari almost felt like hiding. She had seen several people she knew from her childhood and they had seen her as well. Several had run off and it was most likely to tell her parents she had returned. The group disembarked and almost immediately Kari saw her parents.  
  
"Uh, Marko, my parents are coming. Promise me you won't let them drag me away from you."  
  
Marko held her around her waist with one arm and winked.  
  
"I'd never let anyone take you away from me."  
  
Kari smiled. She had managed to stop blushing and she rather enjoyed being with Marko all the time. The others in the group had been scheming and had put the two of them in rooms next to each other for sleeping. Kari could still remember how embarrassed she had been and did not want to think too much of it anymore. However, they were even closer now and Marko said that the first chance they got, they would marry. She was certainly happy about that idea. Her parents pushed their way through the crowd and appeared in front of them.  
  
"Kari!" her mother said, "Thank goodness you've come home. Well, it's time you settled down with a good husband that can make you stay put."  
  
Before she could continue Marko introduced himself.  
  
"Hi, I'm Marko Lyther. I'm Kari's fiancée."  
  
That caught Kari's mother in half-yell.  
  
"Oh. Well, I am Marcie Leland, Kari's mother. This is Johnn, Kari's father."  
  
Marko shook Johnn's hand.  
  
"So, you're the man that finally tamed my daughter," said Johnn, "I hope she hasn't been too troublesome."  
  
"Hardly," said Marko, "Kari's behaved herself fine."  
  
"Come," said Marcie, "We must get the two of you ready to wed at the Temple of Light! I've always waited for this day to come. I didn't think you would ever marry. Running off to become a Mage Slayer. I hope you don't get any ideas. You are going to settle down and give me some grandchildren."  
  
Marko's eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of the Temple of Light. He did not have happy memories regarding that place.  
  
"Uh, Mom, can you not mention the Temple of Light in front of Marko?"  
  
"Why? Is he not a member of the Zakarum faith?"  
  
Marko flinched clearly. He remembered what had happened when he confronted the followers of Mephisto. It had not been a pleasant battle.  
  
"Uh, Mom, Marko's the Hand of Light."  
  
"Oh stop making things up child," said Marcie, "You, young man, need to stop telling lies to make yourself popular. Just tell Kari that you aren't the Hand of Light. I'm sure that if she really wants to marry you she still will."  
  
"Uh, begging your pardon ma'am," Fara said, "Marko is the Hand of Light."  
  
Marcie's eyes narrowed.  
  
"And who are you? I know you're too old to be fooled by such a trick, so I suggest you also stop playing at games."  
  
"My name is Fara, and I was once a paladin. Marko is the Hand of Light. I helped him in Lut Gholein when he defeated Duriel."  
  
"Kari, I suggest you to tell your companions or whoever they are to stop playing games," Marcie warned her daughter.  
  
"They aren't playing games Mom. Marko is the Hand of Light. Otherwise Fara would never have come with him. Marko, don't you know some people in Kurast?"  
  
"I do, providing Hratli, Asheara, Alkor, and Natalya are still here. Ormus might recognize me, but the last time I talked with him he still wouldn't speak plainly."  
  
"So, you know of the people who gave minor assistance to the Hand of Light," said Johnn, "Then perhaps we should go to them to settle this."  
  
"Yes yes," said Marcie, "They'll set things straight. And you young lady will be in big trouble for lying, as will all of you. I certainly won't allow my daughter to marry a man like you." "Let's go," said Marko, slightly bored, "We'll go to Asheara first. I need to speak with her anyways."  
  
"Going to recruit more people?" Qual-Kehk asked.  
  
"Yes. Asheara is a good person to have with you in a fight, providing she isn't drunk."  
  
The others laughed as Marko led the way. Johnn and Marcie continually frowned at their daughter.  
  
"You can back out of this," Marcie said to her daughter, "I won't punish you if you just tell me the truth. I know of several suitable men, much better than this liar, that would love to marry you."  
  
"Mother, Marko is the Hand of Light, and he's going to prove it to you."  
  
Marko walked into the hut. Asheara was looking over some papers.  
  
"If you want to hire some muscle you'll have to wait until I finish this," she said.  
  
"Even if I've heard help from you before?"  
  
Asheara's head snapped up and she smiled.  
  
"Marko! How is the slayer of the Prime Evils doing?"  
  
Marcie and Johnn's mouths fell open.  
  
"I need your help," said Marko, "I know how committed you are to your men, but I need you to leave with me."  
  
"Hold it," said Asheara, "Even if I wanted to abandon my men, I doubt the city guards would let me out. My debt is kind of steep."  
  
"I can pay it off."  
  
"How much gold do you have to throw away?"  
  
"More than enough," said Marko, "Now. I am not asking you to abandon your men. I am sure there is one among them that can take command while you are gone."  
  
"Marko, why are you even asking me to come with you?" said Asheara, "From the looks of most of the people behind you, you already have a bunch of topnotch warriors."  
  
"Counting me, there are only six of us. I doubt six would be enough. Seven would put me closer."  
  
"Even so, I am one person. What difference can I make?"  
  
"It would be one more blade watching our backs," said Marko, "Asheara, I need you on this. You've heard the rumors about the Worldstone being destroyed. Well, it has been shattered. I plan on doing something about it, but I need help in order to accomplish it."  
  
"I'm sorry Marko, but I can't leave."  
  
She started reading her papers again but Marko spoke.  
  
"There are two armies preparing to lay siege to Kurast."  
  
That caught everyone by surprise. Asheara looked up at him and waited for him to continue speaking.  
  
"I need to break through those two armies, but I will need help doing it. What I need are veterans in battle, people that won't run away. What I need are people I can trust in battle. I need your help."  
  
Asheara laughed nervously.  
  
"You'll have to tell me how you convince people to do what you want," she said, "Fine. I'll help you. But only because you intend on destroying this army that is amassing for an attack on Kurast."  
  
"Um, excuse me," said Marcie, "but if there is going to be an attack, shouldn't we warn the paladins stationed here? Certainly they can help you."  
  
"I doubt it," said Marko, "We'll do this by ourselves."  
  
"Well, I will have to warn them," said Johnn, "Anyways, the two of you are getting married before you leave this city. If that means now, then it will be now."  
  
"Not in the Temple of Light," said Marko.  
  
"And why not?" Marcie demanded, "The Temple of Light is a good place to conduct such ceremonies."  
  
"Are you insane?" said Asheara, "The Temple of Light was where Mephisto lived until Marko killed him! If I were Marko, I wouldn't have even come into the city that holds it!"  
  
Marcie and Johnn looked at the others as if they were insane.  
  
"The Temple of Light is pure," Marcie insisted, "Anyone that says otherwise is speaking blasphemy."  
  
"Then I'll be speaking blasphemy," said Kari, "Mephisto resided in the Temple of Light and manipulated the Council of Zakarum. They did his bidding. All that refuse to see it are blind."  
  
"That is a dangerous thing to say," said Asheara, "I had thought that your parents knew the truth, but I see I was wrong. The paladins forbid talk of such sort."  
  
"Then I might have to settle them before I leave," said Marko, "but I am not going to get married in a place where so much blood has been spilled."  
  
"You can't do such a thing!" Johnn exclaimed, "No one dares challenge the paladins now!"  
  
"Take me to these paladins," said Marko, "We'll see who dares challenge who."  
  
"I can led you to their leader," Asheara said, "Just come with me."  
  
Kari's parents looked at the group as if they were insane, but they followed anyways. The group drew many looks as they walked through the streets. Asheara led them to a group of paladins. All were wearing full battle armor and had their swords drawn and their shields strapped onto their arm.  
  
"I welcome the Hand of Light," the lead paladin said, "I am Gregory Eth, leader of the Hand of Zakarum."  
  
"I am Marko Lyther, the Hand of Light. I have heard that you have restored the Temple of Light."  
  
"Yes. The Temple of Light is the place of worship. It is rumored that you yourself were a paladin. You must feel joy in hearing that the temple where you became a Hand of Zakarum has been restored to its former glory."  
  
"I have also heard that you forbid talk of Mephisto ever being in the Temple of Light."  
  
Gregory's face darkened.  
  
"Those are lies. Mephisto only dwelled in the Temple of Light after he murdered the Council of Zakarum and transformed it into a fortress."  
  
"The Council of Zakarum was corrupted by Mephisto," Marko continued, "I myself faced them as they fought alongside Mephisto. I am surprised that you even returned to the Temple of Light. The blood of Mephisto, the corrupted archbishops, and innocents sacrificed to feed his bloodlust, stain the place."  
  
"Truly you must be joking," said Gregory, "You yourself were a paladin. The leaders of the Religion of Light would never fall to the corruption of Mephisto."  
  
"The portal leading to the Pandemonium Fortress is deep under the Temple," said Marko, "The Pandemonium Fortress leads to Hell."  
  
Kari could see many people moving away from Marko and the group, her parents included. They looked on disapprovingly at her but Kari ignored them.  
  
"Perhaps you are not the true Hand of Light," Gregory said, "Perhaps you are another fake."  
  
"You dare insult the slayer of the Prime Evils!" Asheara yelled, "or are you afraid that he will put an end to your reign of power!"  
  
"We have tolerated you because your men fought alongside the true Hand of Light," said Gregory, "though I am starting to doubt that. However, our generosity only extends so far."  
  
Marko's sword floated out of his sheath and he grabbed it.  
  
"The Valor of Light will test whether you truly walk in the light, as you claim," Marko said. His voice seemed to be carried across the square and several people gasped. "Darkness that hides beneath, show yourself!"  
  
Again light gathered into the blade of the sword. Then a wave of light spread out across the square. Kari didn't look and waited until the light had receded before she dared to see what had happened. The group of paladins were still shielding their eyes, but a dark aura was present around them. Several others had appeared but a light blue aura surrounded them.  
  
"I had already known that several paladins had been corrupted," said Marko, "and I also knew that I never hunted all of them down. So convenient for all of you to gather for me to kill."  
  
The paladins with blue auras drew their swords. They recognized the taint of corruption and moved to join Marko and the others. More appeared and surrounded their former comrades.  
  
"You fools! He is tricking you! He is the corrupted one! He is not the Hand of Light! Destroy him!"  
  
None of the paladins facing against them moved.  
  
"Don't let them escape," Marko ordered, "Kari, let us take care of them."  
  
Kari nodded. She threw back her cloak and revealed the Shield of the Just. She also raised her staff and prepared to attack. Marko simply got into a ready stance. Simultaneously, the two charged and attacked the eight corrupted paladins. Gregory fired off an Unholy Bolt at Marko but his cape absorbed it. Marko swung his sword at Gregory. He raised his sword to block but it was cut in half. Marko's blade kept going and severed Gregory's head. Kari struck the ground with her staff and the Apocalypse Spell burst out, killing two of the paladins. Marko threw a fireball that killed a fourth and they attacked the remaining four together. Within seconds they were all dead. Marko waved his hand and their bodies were destroyed. He then turned to the other paladins assembled.  
  
"I hope none of you fall under the corruption that these succumbed to," he said.  
  
"No need, Lord Lyther," said a paladin that walked forward, "May I ask what brings the Hand of Light to Kurast?"  
  
"I am here to travel into the rain forest," said Marko, "There is some unfinished business that I must take care of."  
  
"A pity," said the paladin, "I am Rikardo Larsen of the Hand of Zakarum. I was going to offer you command of the Hand."  
  
Marko raised an eyebrow and stared at the man.  
  
"Any particular reason you want me to lead you?" he asked.  
  
"We are aware of two large armies approaching Kurast," Rikardo replied, "Gregory was the High Lord of the Hand and forbade speaking of the two armies. I believe he was trying to cover for them and allow them to invade Kurast. Since I am the highest ranking officer alive, I offer you the command in the hopes that you will help us defeat these two armies."  
  
The others all looked at Marko and awaited his answer.  
  
"I will take command," he said, "On three conditions. One, I relinquish command of the Hand of Zakarum after the two armies are defeated."  
  
"That is acceptable," said Rikardo.  
  
"That the Temple of Light be destroyed as there has been too much innocent blood spilled in it and the place was corrupted."  
  
Rikardo nodded.  
  
"That you come with me on my journey."  
  
Everyone in the group gave Marko a questioning look but he winked at them.  
  
"Why do you ask me to accompany you?" Rikardo asked, more than a little surprised.  
  
"Because I am looking for true warriors and veterans to help me finish my mission."  
  
"And what mission would that be?"  
  
"Let's just say I am trying to ensure the survival of humanity," Marko replied, "Well, do you agree to my terms or not?"  
  
Rikardo nodded slowly. "I agree to all three terms, and I am honored that you would let me join you."  
  
The crowd burst out in cheers. Kari looked over at her parents and was surprised that they actually had an approving look on their faces. They walked over to her.  
  
"I guess we were wrong," Marcie said, "I'm sorry Kari."  
  
"It's okay," she replied, "though we're still getting married, but not in the Temple of Light."  
  
"Of course not," said Johnn, "I guess you can say that Marko finally made sense of everything. I just hope the new Zakarum faith will last longer."  
  
"I'm sure it will," said Kari, "So, when's the wedding to take place?"  
  
"Right now."  
  
Kari spun around and looked at Marko.  
  
"You can't be serious," she said.  
  
"Why not? Rikardo, I assume that you are a certified priest of the true Religion of Light."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well, we already have plenty of witnesses. Let the wedding begin!"  
  
"But, but we should have a proper ceremony!" Marcie exclaimed.  
  
"Mom, don't bother. If Marko wants it done here and now, I really suggest you make the best of it."  
  
Marcie was still speechless but Johnn knew exactly what to say.  
  
"Honey, Kari is right. All right dear. You have our permission to marry Marko Lyther, the Hand of Light."  
  
Marcie managed a smile and Kari returned it. She walked over to Marko and the two walked over to Rikardo. Many of the people around had gotten themselves organized and watched from the side. The others that had come with them so far stood behind Marko and Kari. Marcie and Johnn took their places besides their daughter.  
  
"Lord Lyther, I don't suppose your parents are present," said Rikardo.  
  
"I will substitute for Marko's mother," said Fara.  
  
"I will substitute for Marko's father," said Qual-Kehk.  
  
Rikardo nodded. "We are here today to join two who wish to be wed. Under the light and in service of the High Heavens, I, Rikardo Eth, representative of the Zakarum, ask you to kneel."  
  
Both dropped to their knees slowly.  
  
"Lord Marko Lyther, Hand of Light, High Lord of the Hand of Zakarum, and Protector of Humanity, stand."  
  
Marko did so.  
  
"Do you promise to take care of Kari Leland, to be faithful and never take advantage of her love for you, to be there for her eternally, to love her even after death."  
  
"I do."  
  
"Kari Leland, stand."  
  
Kari joined Marko.  
  
"Do you promise to watch over Marko Lyther, to forever be there for him, to help him in his journeys, and to love him even when all that remains of him is his soul?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Then in the name of the Light, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Marko took Kari by the waist and kissed her deeply. Kari let him be in control and drank in the kiss. She could barely hear the cheers that ran through the crowd. More people had gathered and many had heard that Marko was the Hand of Light, but she didn't care. All she cared about was staying in his embrace forever.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Kari couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun. A massive celebration had begun and the people of the city were going insane with all of the partying. She laughed out again as Marko tickled her. She was letting loose and she felt great. Suddenly another assassin was beside them.  
  
"Ah, Natalya."  
  
"You know each other?" Kari said.  
  
"We met when Marko came to Kurast," said Natalya, "He did many great things here."  
  
"I've heard that from a lot of women," said Kari, "What did Marko do here?"  
  
"He killed Mephisto," said Natalya.  
  
"I had wanted to talk to you," said Marko, "but I thought you would have returned to wherever you assassins are based."  
  
"There were still demons all around," Natalya replied, "I could not yet leave."  
  
"A good thing you stayed," said Marko, "I have an offer for you."  
  
"You want me to join the Companions," said Natalya.  
  
"Well, I don't know who came up with the name, but yes."  
  
"I would be honored. Why do you require my services?"  
  
"You'll see," said Marko, "For now, just enjoy the party."  
  
And that they did.  
  
============================================================================  
  
"Kari, wake up."  
  
Kari mumbled something even she wasn't sure about but didn't move."  
  
"Kari, come on dear, we have to get up."  
  
Kari groaned but let go of Marko. He got up and put on a robe. Kari sat up on the bed. Her nightgown was wrinkled in many places but she didn't care. She got out of bed and almost instantly regretted it. It seemed odd that she would think it cold, but it was. Marko threw her a robe and she gladly put it on. Marcie had insisted that they at least spend a week resting before going off wherever Marko's mission took him. Kari had enjoyed it but they would be setting out again. Two thousand paladins would be following them as they marched to some godforsaken battle. Marko was confident he could lead the paladin army to victory over the two armies of demons. Kari wasn't too sure, however. Still, Marko did have a lot of support. Many Vizjerei Clan leaders had entered the city and spoke with Marko. Apparently he now had two hundred mages under his command. Marko would probably need them to help thin out the enemy's forces. Kari washed her face and followed Marko as he went to his office. They were using the citadel of the paladins for now. The Temple of Light was being torn down and the underground passages were being collapsed. Marko had certainly meant it when he ordered the temple to be destroyed.  
  
Two servants walked in and placed their breakfast on the table. Kari thanked them and they left. The two sat down and ate.  
  
"You sure you want to come with me?" Marko asked again.  
  
Kari gave him a tolerating smile and he nodded. That was all the answer he needed. Kari would follow him anywhere. They finished eating and both got into their armor. Kari looked out at the legion gathered under Marko's banner, a blue pentagram. She just hoped they would live through this battle.  
  
"We march!" Marko ordered.  
  
He, Kari, and the others took the front. The mages rode behind them and the paladins came last.  
  
"Now we are nine," Fara said, "You have eight blades watching your back now."  
  
"And I have eight backs I have to watch," Marko replied jokingly.  
  
A ripple of laughter passed through the warriors riding up front with Marko. The citizens cheered as Marko led the army out of Kurast. They would face these two armies and crush them. The army marched towards where the two demon armies had last been spotted. They rode for several hours and suddenly came upon six men in red armor and cloaks. Marko raised his hand for the soldiers and sorcerers behind him to stop. Two men in black armor appeared from behind the redcloaks and dismounted.  
  
"We wish to speak with the Hand of Light," the larger one said.  
  
"I am he."  
  
"My lord. May was speak in privacy?"  
  
Marko waved his hand and spoke again. Kari couldn't hear what he was saying. He had cast some sort of spell to allow only the two men to hear. The mouths of the smaller man moved. After a few seconds, Marko responded. Kari could see that he was getting angry. Finally, he waved his hand again.  
  
"You have this one chance to retreat," Marko said firmly, "I suggest you take it."  
  
"You have refused our offer. For that you will die."  
  
"Warriors, ready!" Marko shouted.  
  
The men in black remounted and fell back with the redcloaks right behind them.  
  
"Follow and destroy!"  
  
The paladins rushed forward with Marko and the others. The sorcerers stayed more to the side. They were better in ranged battle, not in a fierce melee. The army suddenly came into a clearing. Arrayed before them was an army of succubi. Marko growled and held up his hand. The soldiers stopped. He waited for a few seconds and then drew his sword.  
  
"Attack!"  
  
The mages present started raining fire and lightning upon the ranks of Soul Burners. The ones up front were completely destroyed while more flew past their fallen companions and charged. Kari used her staff and blasted large holes in the ranks of the Soul Burners. Farra was doing the same with the Nova Spell. Marko fired an intense stream of lightning that seemed to vaporize any Soul Burner it struck. He swept the beam across the enemy army and then leapt into battle himself. The Soul Burners threw spells of fire against the paladins and felled many, but more still poured through. They crashed into the ranks of Soul Burners and started slashing away. The succubi fought back with their claws and tried to kill the paladins with their bare hands. Marko was in the thick of it, slashing to pieces any succubi within range of his great sword, and also using his magic occasionally, blasting apart more. The mages fired the spells behind the battleground, wanting to avoid killing their fellow soldiers. Their spells struck the succubi trying to get to the battlefield and killed many more. Kari was using the Shield of the Just and fired several of the powerful beams of light. They cut through dozens of succubi and continued to go until they finally dissipated. It was enough that the Soul Burners tried to avoid her. Fara was swinging her staff about, striking down any succubi. Kari could clearly see the Soul Burners trying to avoid her, Marko, and their companions. All of them fought like never before and by themselves had nearly destroyed the first several waves of Soul Burners. The paladins jumped into the holes Kari and the others made and simply began carving apart the Soul Burners. Marko's army continued to advance, though the stream of succubi seemed unending. They seemed to have battled for hours when the Soul Burners stopped coming. Instead the cloaked figures appeared.  
  
"It seems you have managed to defeat our army," one said, "Now it is time to face the Red Cloaks."  
  
The two men in black also moved forward and drew their swords. All of them were black.  
  
"Kari, Qual-Kehk, Fara, Asheara, Rikardo, Falvie, Greiz, let's take them. Everyone else, stay back."  
  
The eight walked forward to meet the Red Cloaks and the two men in black. Marko seemed to mark the larger of the two as his. Kari intended to take down the other one. The warriors moved forward. There was no signal but all attacked at once. The Red Cloaks fought vicious duels with the other six while Kari and Marko unloaded powerful spells on the other two. They dodged or blocked them and attacked with their own. Marko then attacked with full force using his sword. The two locked blades and soon a deadly duel had started. Kari raised her shield and fired another beam of light. It caught the man by surprise and took off an arm. She then attacked with her staff. Her opponent seemed to be off balance and fought desperately. She saw a chance and sliced open the armor of the man by using the edge of her shield. The man fell back again. Kari wasn't about to let him get back on balance and used the Apocalypse Spell. The man screamed and his shattered remains fell to the ground. Kari was surprised that any remains existed at all. The Apocalypse Spell should have destroyed everything. She used it again and this time the body parts were completely destroyed. She saw the others fighting on. Fara suddenly used her Nova Spell and killed her opponent. The others were finishing off their opponents soon after. Only Marko and the man in black remained. The two were throwing ever more powerful spells at each other. Marko suddenly lashed out with Apocalypse and a hole appeared in the man's chest. A stunned look appeared on his face as he fell. Marko used it again and blood and guts splattered everywhere. Kari ran over to him and helped him remain standing.  
  
"They should have been completely destroyed with the first blast," he said.  
  
"I know. Come on. We won. We can go to my clan now."  
  
Marko nodded and turned to face the paladins and mages.  
  
"That was only one of the armies," said Marko, "We must find the other one and destroy it as well."  
  
Suddenly a portal appeared in the clearing and several warriors of the Iron Wolves appeared.  
  
"The city is under attack!" one shouted, "Demons are assaulting the city!"  
  
"What?" Marko demanded. He then pointed at one of the higher ranked paladins.  
  
"Captain, get the army back to Kurast as fast as you can. Kari, Fara, Greiz, Qual-Kehk, Asheara, Falvie, Natalya, and Rikardo, let's go. We'll use the portal to return and do what we can." The Companions ran into the portal and left the Iron Wolves with the army. Quickly the captain started the army marching back at a fast pace. Hopefully they would be in time to help.  
  
The Companions appeared right in the middle of a fierce melee. Iron Wolves soldiers and the remaining paladins were trying to prevent a massive amount of demons. The demons all looked like the creature Marko and the others faced during their journey towards Lut Gholein. The human soldiers were getting slaughtered. All of the creatures wielded powerful blade weapons.  
  
"Give them everything you've got!" Marko ordered.  
  
The Companions leapt into the battle with every weapon they had. Kari and Fara fired off powerful spells from their staves. It took five Apocalypses to take down one of the creatures while Fara was having little luck with the Nova spell. She then charged one of the beasts and knocked it back with the staff. Natalya was employing many assassin skills, including fire and lightning traps. She had also summoned a Shadow Master. Unfortunately, The beasts were too powerful. They withstood almost every attack and gave as good as they got. Qual-Kehk managed to smash the head of one of the beasts with his battleaxe but the body continued to fight. Marko attacked from behind and finally destroyed it. Falvie fired powerful arrows of lightning and fire, managing to punch holes through the armor of the beasts. However, this merely slowed them down. Suddenly the beasts seemed to be taking hits. Sparks appeared all over their armor and the beasts seemed to be lashing out at nothing. The others then noticed that Rikardo and Marko had activated their Blessed Hammer aura. The beasts were actually trying to fight their way through the aura, but faced great difficulty and were slowed considerably. The others took their chance and attacked the creatures. They killed several more before the aura wore off. Suddenly a black bolt shot past the companions and struck one of the demons. It exploded in contact and vaporized the demon as well. The others looked back and saw Marko with his hand raised. However, he had a stunned and scared look on his face. He quickly snapped out of it and charged with his sword. Each of his blows sent whatever it hit flying back. Twice he even cut clean through the creatures. The others didn't know how Marko was doing this, but they followed. Soon they killed this group of demons and started cleaning out the city. When the army arrived, they helped kill any demon that still remained.  
  
============================================================================  
  
"Hey."  
  
Marko turned his head sideways and saw that it was his wife.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
Marko sighed. "You saw what I did today."  
  
"What I saw was my husband going berserk and possibly saving all of us," Kari replied, "So what's the matter?"  
  
"You saw what I did to that demon. Do you know what that was?"  
  
Kari shook her head. "I assume it was a powerful spell."  
  
"I was trying to use Holy Bolt," Marko stated.  
  
Kari was silent for a few seconds.  
  
"So what did you use?"  
  
"I used an Unholy Bolt."  
  
Kari's eyes went wide.  
  
"How is that possible? You aren't evil, you don't even draw your power from anything evil."  
  
"But I've touched evil. After I killed Mephisto, I somehow absorbed his strength. I used that strength to kill Diablo."  
  
"But that's impossible," said Kari, "Only demons have the ability to absorb powers from things they kill."  
  
"Perhaps. It might have had something to do with the fact that demon blood once entered my system. It was unfortunate, but it happened."  
  
"So what are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm going to replant the Worldstone and perhaps keep myself from becoming evil. With the powers of Hell cut off, I'll be able to avoid that power. It won't be able to touch me."  
  
Kari walked up and hugged Marko from behind.  
  
"So you're also doing this to save yourself. To keep yourself from being damned. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Marko turned and took his wife's hands.  
  
"Because it is dangerous for you to even be near me."  
  
"I'll never be in danger around you," said Kari, "Never from you."  
  
She hugged him and Marko returned it, hoping she was right.  
  
============================================================================  
  
"As my last order, all of you are to remain behind or return to wherever your clan is based. Rikardo, everyone else, let's go. Kari's going to lead us to wherever Mage Slayers have their headquarters."  
  
"I have a map," said Kari, "Are you strong enough to create a portal?"  
  
"Sure," said Marko.  
  
She let him go and he stood on his own. Kari took out her map and showed him the location. He waved his hand and a blue portal appeared. They walked through it and appeared in the center of a dozen assassins bearing their Katars.  
  
"Oh bloody hell," Marko complained, "I do not need this."  
  
Kari giggled as the other assassins looked at them, unsure what exactly to do.  
  
"Hold weapons," a voice ordered.  
  
The assassins relaxed and an elderly man appeared.  
  
"Kari, Natalya. Who are these outsiders? Why have you brought them here? You know that no one besides Mage Slayers are allowed here."  
  
"I know," said Kari, "and I am sorry. This is my husband, Marko Lyther, the Hand of Light. These are his companions."  
  
The old man raised an eyebrow and looked Marko over. He waved a hand and the other assassins left.  
  
"Welcome," he said to Marko, "I was not expecting such an important person."  
  
"You flatter me. Now, let's get down to business. I know you have the Shadow of Courage. I need it."  
  
The old man regarded him seriously.  
  
"I am afraid I cannot give you the Shadow of Courage. We were entrusted in guarding it and we will not just give it away."  
  
"I don't need to keep it," said Marko, "I need to use its powers here or a really secluded location that also has a very large chamber, and I mean very large, where assassins can protect it, to replant the damn Worldstone!"  
  
The old man's eyes went wide when he heard this.  
  
"You are going to attempt to replant the Worldstone, that which shields our world from the corruption of Hell?"  
  
"Yes! Now, do you have a place large enough for me to actually seed it?"  
  
"Yes, yes, of course. My name is Herad. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. You have answered our prayers and we will not forget it."  
  
"Then take me to this place and bring the cloak," Marko ordered, "We don't exactly have all day."  
  
"Do you need the Defender of Hope as well?"  
  
Marko stopped dead in his tracks when he heard this.  
  
"You also have the armor?"  
  
"Only a fragment of it," Herad answered, "It was broken into five fragments."  
  
"Then it's no use," said Marko, "Just bring the cape. Hopefully with three of the items of the set we'll have enough power to do what must be done."  
  
"Three?"  
  
Marko pulled out his sword.  
  
"The Valor of the Light. Kari has the Shield of the Just."  
  
Kari flashed the shield still strapped on her arm. Herad nodded.  
  
"Come this way. It will take a while to prepare everything."  
  
"Hurry."  
  
End of Chapter 6  
  
If this seems rushed, that's because it is. I am tired and don't want to keep editing, so I'm just going to leave it this way.  
  
Z98 


	7. Hope

Chapter 7: Hope  
  
"Why have you chosen us to watch over the Worldstone?" Herad asked.  
  
"The barbarians of the Highlands were unable to prevent Baal from corrupting their Worldstone," said Marko, "I am giving the Mage Slayers the chance to protect the thing that shields humanity. I suggest that you not fail in the task."  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
An assassin brought out the Shadow of Courage and Marko gave it to Kari.  
  
"Put it on," he said, "You'll be the one wearing it when I cast the spell."  
  
"But don't you need it?"  
  
"I just need it present."  
  
Kari nodded and put on the cloak. It seemed to wrap her in a shield of warmth and strength. She couldn't help but smile as she wrapped herself in the cloak. Marko seemed to know what she was feeling and smiled with her.  
  
"Let's go," he said.  
  
Herad quickly led them to the chamber. Marko waved him to stay outside and he and Kari went in to finish the mission.  
Marko was standing in a massive room as large as the Worldstone Chamber. It was secreted underground and currently every Mage Slayer in the area had been recalled and placed on guard. Kari was wearing the cape and stood at the entrance. Marko walked to the center and dug a small hole. He put the pure fragment of the Worldstone in the hole, with the top barely peeking out. He then walked back to the entrance, turned to face the fragment and started chanting.  
  
"By the power of the Light, under the will of the High Heavens, Stone of this World, grow and prosper. Protect this world and humanity from the corruption of Chaos."  
  
Marko kept repeating the same phrase over and over again. After two hours, the cloak, sword, and shield started glowing. White light came from the shield, blue light from the cloak, and green light from the sword. They struck the Worldstone and slowly it started growing. Finally it stood twice as tall as any man and stopped. Marko sighed and let a smile creep onto his face. Kari took it as a good thing. They walked out of the room and Marko sealed the stone door behind them.  
  
"Allow no one to enter," he ordered, "unless someone has managed to sneak in to do harm. Also, ward this place. Allow no use of magic whatsoever. Set traps for anyone foolish enough to try."  
  
Herad nodded. "Then it is done?"  
  
"It will take centuries before the Worldstone grows to the size that the one on Mt. Arreat was. However, the seed has sprouted and the corruption has stopped seeping into our world."  
  
"We thank you for what you have done," said Herad, "Keep the Shadow of Courage. You have proved yourself the true owner of it."  
  
Kari took it off and handed it to Marko. He took it but immediately put it back on her.  
  
"It's yours," he said, "Consider it as a sign of how much I love you."  
  
Kari smiled and kissed him. The assassins and Marko's companions all cheered. They had gathered around the couple and many patted them on the back. Marko held Kari close to him tightly, not wanting to let her go. However, he knew that not everything had been done yet.  
  
"It's all over," Kari said when they broke.  
  
"No," Marko said quietly, "We must ensure the survival of the Worldstone. Right now it is vulnerable. We must ensure that there is nothing that can destroy it again."  
  
"What do you plan on doing?" Kari asked.  
  
"I plan on going down to Hell and destroying Shadowfang," Marko announced.  
  
A gasp was heard in the crowd. Herad walked up to Marko and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Lord Lyther, your name will be remembered as the man that saved everything. Everything."  
  
"I do not look for glory," said Marko, "However, I am the only one that can do this."  
  
"But Shadowfang took centuries to create," said Kari, "Even if you do get it somehow, even using the Hellforge, how are you going to destroy it?"  
  
"I'll do it," Marko said confidently.  
  
"Then we are going with you," Fara said.  
  
"I cannot ask you do follow me down there," said Marko, "It is far more dangerous than anything that we have ever faced."  
  
"We are going," said Greiz, "We have followed you this far. We intend to see this mission through as much as you."  
  
Marko nodded. "I thank all of you. We can use a waypoint to travel to the Pandemonium Fortress. There, we shall enter Hell."  
  
Herad guided them to the waypoint and all of them stepped on. Marko set the stones in the correct configuration and they disappeared.  
  
"There goes a great man," Herad said out loud, "Let's get to work. We must ensure that no one will ever touch this Worldstone!"  
Tyrael was standing before the waypoint when the Companions appeared.  
  
"Tyrael," Marko greeted.  
  
"Marko. It is good to see you succeed. You are even more powerful than I had thought."  
  
"Many people have said that. What brings you to the Fortress?"  
  
"You remembered what happened last time an invasion was attempted to destroy Shadowfang."  
  
"I remember that I've fought my way to the Hellforge and secured it for destroying the Soulstones."  
  
"True," Tyrael admitted, "I hope that you succeed in this venture as well."  
  
Marko nodded and Tyrael disappeared. They stepped down from the waypoint and made their way to the plateau.  
  
"I have enough gold stored here that you can stock up on some supplies," he told them, "but buy just what you need."  
  
The others nodded and went off to speak with Halbu and Jamella.  
  
"Marko, what did those two men say to you that made you so angry?" Kari asked when the others were out of hearing.  
  
"They offered me leadership of the Burning Hell."  
  
Kari gasped. "What? But isn't the Master of Darkness the heir to Hell?"  
  
"The Master of Darkness has not appeared yet," Marko replied, "Hell is without a leader and they needed one to invade the High Heavens."  
  
"But why you?"  
  
"It seems that the forces of Hell are once more preparing to lay siege to the High Heavens. If I led them, they would succeed."  
  
"But that can't be," said Kari, "You've opposed them for so long. You've defeated their most powerful lords and you've ruined their plans for Sanctuary!"  
  
"The plan for Sanctuary was the product of the Prime Evils," said Marko, "They believe that by destroying them, I have shown that I am stronger than they are and can lead Hell to its ultimate victory."  
  
"But that's insane! You'll never fall to Hell!"  
  
"I've been fighting ever since I defeated Baal. I thought if I managed to do one thing for all of humanity, I might be able to defeat Hell's attempts for good. But I still haven't finished."  
  
"We'll finish together," Kari assured him, "I know we will."  
  
Marko gave her a weak smile and nodded. Kari was determined not to let Marko fall to the corruption. He deserved better than that. Far better. If he died uncorrupted, his soul might become an Archangel. His accomplishments were beyond belief, slaying the Prime and Lesser Evils, reseeding the Worldstone, and now preparing to destroy Shadowfang to ensure that the Worldstone remain undisturbed.  
  
"Marko, we're ready," Rikardo informed them.  
  
Marko nodded and everyone rejoined on the waypoint. Marko took them down to the deepest levels of Hell, where the Hellforge resided.  
A massive army of demons had gathered and charged the moment the group appeared. Marko unleashed a tidal wave of Apocalypse Spells and seemed to crush half of the demon army immediately. He didn't even faze as he charged out, sword swinging all about him. The others followed him as he cut a massive path through the demons, sending them flying and slicing them to pieces. Kari used her staff to cast more Apocalypse Spells and dispersed more demons that tried to charge at them. Fara's Nova Spells also thinned the ranks of demons. The others easily killed any demon that made it past Marko, Fara, and Kari. Suddenly mirror images of Kari and Natalya appeared. The two had used Shadow Master and the two jumped into battle.  
  
"Hurry," Marko yelled, "We need to get to Shadowfang."  
  
"Where is it?" Kari asked.  
  
"It's guarded near the depths of Hell."  
  
Kari's stomach started turning upside down. The depths of Hell was an abyss that seemed to go down forever. No mortal had ever even dared approach it. Marko continued slicing a path through the demons that tried to stop him, not even slowing down. He then struck the ground with his sword and demons standing around them simply fell to the ground dead. Dozens of fire golems leapt out from the fires of Hell and joined in the attack. Skeletons, mages and warriors, appeared from the dead demon bodies. Marko was using every trick he knew and soon a huge army was fighting the legions of Hell.  
  
"If we keep this up we'll destroy Hell itself," Qual-Kehk said.  
  
They then ran over a rise and saw what laid before them. Legions upon legions of massive demons in large, spiked armor were waiting for them. They were the same ones that had attacked Kurast and what the Companions had encountered on their way to Lut Gholein.  
  
"You spoke too soon," Asheara said.  
  
Marko stopped for a few moments to look at them and then charged. The Companions followed him and they punched a hole in the mass sea of demons. More and more skeleton warriors and mages appeared and more golems came to replace the ones that fell. Golems grew from the weapons of fallen demons and others simply rose out of the ground. The entire army marched forward, Marko sacrificing dozens of skeletons to bring down a single monster and then creating more skeletons from the bodies. Legions of skeletons appeared from behind and joined the ones already fight. Marko was calling upon nearly every skeleton he could summon. They were approaching the abyss.  
  
"We're almost there," he yelled, "A little further. I can see Shadowfang!"  
  
Kari looked up and indeed Shadowfang was being welded by a beast as large as Diablo. Marko had a look of desperation on his face and he charged recklessly ahead. Demons simply vaporized as he cast powerful spells, some Kari had never even thought possible. She followed him and killed any demon that tried to attack him from behind. Marko suddenly fired another black bolt of energy. Kari recognized it immediately as an Unholy Bolt. Marko was losing control.  
  
Hang on, she prayed. Just hang on a little longer.  
  
Marko smashed his sword against the creature but it wasn't fazed. It counterattacked with Shadowfang and nearly knocked Marko into the abyss. Marko suddenly seemed to take flight and moved away from the abyss. A dozen fire golems suddenly converged on the creature and grabbed hold of it. The creature easily sliced through half of them with Shadowfang. Marko was suddenly on it again, slashing away. The creature managed to block most of them with Shadowfang and explosions of opposite energies resounded. Suddenly Marko screamed and unleashed a red lightning bolt. It struck the creature and the creature tried to back away. However, something held it and the lightning bolt fried every part of it. The creature dropped the sword and finally it vaporized. Kari could only look in wonder at what Marko had done. He quickly grabbed Shadowfang and threw it to Kari. It seemed to her that Marko was struggling to even touch Shadowfang.  
  
"Get out of here with it!" he yelled, "I'll cover you!"  
  
"We're leaving together!" Kari screamed.  
  
Marko seemed torn and moved to follow when something started to rise out of the abyss. A massive winged dragon with a sharp beak and spiked teeth visible flew up. Its scales were completely black and the claws on its arms glistened. The arms were separate from the wing and on the tail was a large spike.  
  
"Go!" Marko screamed, "I'm the only one that can hold it off!"  
  
Tears ran down Kari's face as she started running away. The other Companions quickly followed her as the skeletons and golems continued their battles. Marko blasted the creature with a great beam of pure energy. He screamed as all the power erupted out of his body. Kari suddenly spotted a waypoint and ran to it. She quickly configured the stones and the moment everyone was on it she activated it. They reappeared in the Pandemonium Fortress and all collapsed. Kari immediately broke out into sobs. Fara held her and tried to comfort her but it didn't work. Shadowfang dropped from her arms and fell to the stairs. Tyrael suddenly appeared.  
  
"Shadowfang! You have claimed the Demonblade Shadowfang!"  
  
"Marko is still down there!" Kari cried, "Can't you do anything?"  
  
"I am sorry Kailua," Tyrael said, "I am afraid that it is too late. Had he returned, he would have been elevated to the rank of Archangel and his soul would have been saved."  
  
"What's going to happen to him?" Rikardo demanded, "Marko gave everything he had to protect humanity, but none of you in the High Heavens did anything!"  
  
"We are forbidden from helping directly by the Holy Laws," said Tyrael.  
  
"Damn your Holy Laws!" Greiz snarled, "Stop acting so high and mighty! Marko was more honorable than any of you. He shouldn't have to suffer for doing something right while all of you simply sat on the side!"  
  
They suddenly heard a hideous roar. It echoed throughout the Fortress and nearly froze their blood.  
  
"What was that?" Falvie asked.  
  
"The Master of Darkness has risen," said Tyrael, "He has tamed the Dragon of the Abyss and prepares to attack the High Heavens."  
  
Kari started crying again. Marko had failed. He had lost to the corruption of the Burning Hells and he would now lay waste to the High Heavens. She didn't think she had the strength to stop him. Suddenly a sword fell from the sky and landed by them, punching into the ground. It was the Valor of the Light.  
  
"Marko's sword," said Fara, "Why did you drop it?"  
  
"He is trying to help us," Kari said, tears still in her eyes, "He wants us to use it against him."  
  
"How can I fight the man that saved the world?" Falvie said, "It would be killing the one man that gave hope to us."  
  
"And he's giving us hope again," said Kari.  
  
She walked over and pulled out the sword. The shield and cape both started to glow and suddenly she was wearing a dark blue armor.  
  
"He's given us a chance to stop him. He's given us the hope of saving everything. We can't let him down."  
  
The others nodded slowly. They had finally seen the truth to it.  
  
"Marko knew that if he fell to the darkness, if he wielded Shadowfang, he would lay waste to the High Heavens and nothing would be able to stop him. But we now have Shadowfang and we have the Archangel's Set. We can stop him."  
  
"He gave up everything," said Falvie, "Even his soul just to help humanity."  
  
"There is not much time," said Tyrael, "I will take you to the High Heavens. Once we have defeated the forces of Hell, I promise under the oath of Archangels that we will try to save Marko Lyther."  
  
Kari nodded. "I'm sorry Marko. I'm so sorry."  
Kailua stood wearing the Archangel's Set. When she had set foot in the High Heavens, her memories had returned. Her heart still throbbed and her soul still pained knowing that she would have to kill the man that she loved. However, she would do everything in her power to bring him back to the light. She just had to.  
Anya looked at the sky. Something was horribly wrong. She heard a creature roar. It was not possible that it was a creature of the earth, but it was here. Suddenly three men appeared next to her. She had never seen them before, but she still recognized them. The Three Ancients, guardians of the summit of Mt. Arreat.  
  
"The Last Battle has come to pass," they all said, "The Pandemonium Fortress has fallen."  
Jerhyn looked out of his bedroom window. Something was dead wrong. The night sky was turning blood red and the moon was being eclipsed. Shara appeared at his side.  
  
"What is the matter?" she asked her husband.  
  
"Look at the sky."  
  
She did. Then, they both gasped.  
Akara nearly wept when she saw the sky. Kashya just stood there, unbelieving. Fires raged in the sky and almost seemed to touch the land.  
  
"It is finally come to this," Akara said quietly, "May the High Heavens remain strong, and repel the Burning Hell."  
  
Kashya only nodded. The final conflict between the Angels and Archangels of the High Heavens and the demons and monsters of the Burning Hell had come. The fate of three realms depended on the outcome of this Last Battle.  
Marko stood atop the Dragon of the Abyss. He had seeded the corrupted Worldstone at the bottom of the abyss and it was growing, fed by the powerful corruption and evil that was created and thrived in the abyss. It was even larger than the Worldstone had been on Mt. Arreat. Soon, it would be powerful enough to break the barriers between Heaven and Hell and the final battle would begin. Marko looked upon his legions once more. They were ready to march and destroy everything, and he was ready to lead them. His soul had been damned completely. He was now the Master of Darkness, the Dark Lord of Hell.  
Kailua, Archangel of the High Heavens and second only to Tyrael, was standing in front of the Crystal Arch.  
  
"I failed," she said.  
  
It was true. She had been sent to kill the Master of Darkness, yet when she had a chance down in the Burning Hell, she threw it away. Now the High Heavens would be laid under siege and if they lost, humanity would be enslaved forever. She knelt down before the Crystal Arch and asked for forgiveness. She felt something wash over her as she knelt there. It felt like sympathy, concern and love all rolled into one emotion. She hoped it meant the High Heavens had forgiven her. If it had not, she would do what she had been sent to Sanctuary for and earn her redemption. Tears rolled down her eyes. She did not want to kill him, and would do her best to save him.  
  
End of Chapter 7  
  
Yes, this one is shorter, but I wanted to end this chapter dramatically, and this works.  
  
Z98 


	8. Reborn the Monster

I have killed Mephisto. That bastard was more annoying than anything. I was just standing in this one place and apparently he couldn't see me so he didn't launch any of his lightning attacks. I stood there and fired a lot of Bone Spears before the bastard would finally just die. Overall, I'm very happy. Of course, this also does kind of suck for me since I have to now fight in Hell. Oh, and keep this in mind. This chapter is very dark and will involve the destruction of many things. You can thank Mephisto for the inspiration for this chapter. Oh, and if you have a weak stomach, stop reading right now. This chapter is rated R for excessive blood, and I do mean excessive.  
  
Chapter 8: Reborn the Monster  
  
Legions upon legions of demons poured into Sanctuary. The young Worldstone had been unable to prevent the invasion from Hell, but it did provide a place of safety. No demons dared enter its area of influence, and that was the only true Sanctuary left.  
Goatmen charged the monastery gates and smashed it down. Dozens poured in and attacked the Rogues inside. Akara weaved powerful spells in an attempt to stop the beasts but an arrow pierced her chest and dropped her. Two Rogues picked her up and carried her away, but they were fighting a losing battle. More Rogues appeared and attacked with whatever weapon they had. Kashya and Charsi led the defense, both wielding powerful melee weapons. Unfortunately, this time they did not have anyone as powerful as Marko, or even close. The demons slew dozens of Rogues before pushing the others down into the jails. The remaining Rogues, approximately fifty, waited down in the lowest level of the jail and waited for the demons to attack again. Charsi had been taken prisoner and there was no hope of saving her. Akara was dead and the only thing Kashya could do was make the demons pay a bloody price for their assault on the monastery. Suddenly, a blue portal opened in the center of the room. All of the Rogues raised their weapons and prepared to open fire. However, an Angel exited it.  
  
"If you wish to live, come with me," it said, "The forces of Hell may yet be turned back but this is not the place to do it."  
  
"This is our home," said Kashya, "We have already abandoned it once. I will not do so again."  
  
"You do not understand," said the Angel, "You are facing the Master of Darkness and he prepares to destroy the High Heavens. However, he may yet be defeated. Come with me. You must."  
  
Kashya considered it, and finally nodded. The Rogues then all ran into the portal and soon only Kashya, the Angel, and a few other Rogues remained.  
  
"I will not leave my home," said Kashya, "I will remain and do what I can."  
  
The Angel nodded, knowing it was useless to try to convince her. Suddenly a red portal appeared and a tentacle shot out and grabbed Kashya's waist. She slashed at it but was unable to cut it. The Angel charged into battle and hacked the tentacle and severed it. More shot out from the portal and one punched right through the Angel. It fell, its body catching fire and exploding in a blue blaze. The other Rogues fired arrows into the portal and edged towards the blue portal. Kashya screamed and charged at the tentacles, trying to buy some time. Most of the other Rogues managed to escape and soon it was just Kashya and one other. The creature had grabbed Kashya and just as the other Rogue was jumping another tentacle shot out and grabbed her, pulling her away. The portal closed, sealing the two Rogues to their fate. One was smashed into pieces by the crushing force of the tentacles, while Kashya was dragged into Hell. Demons poured out of the portal and moved upwards to join their brethren. After so long, the Rogue Monastery was theirs once again. A standard was raised over the monastery, with the emblem of the Master of Darkness on it, a blood red pentagram.  
Lut Gholein had been laid under siege by demons again. This time the massive army of creatures could not be stopped. They hacked through the guards with incredible ease and quickly approached the palace. Under the palace, demons poured through from some sort of tear and assaulted the guards. The troops Greiz had left behind were no match for the demons as they were slaughtered before the demons' advance. The walls already Lut Gholein were torn down as massive creatures moved into the city. Jerhyn watched helplessly as his city was overrun by the demons. Shara stood at his side, ready to see everything to the end by her husband's side. Jerhyn walked over to the wall and took down the massive sword that hung there.  
  
"It has been a long time since I've had to use this," he said.  
  
Shara walked with him as he exited his chambers and prepared to join in the defense of his city. Husband and wife walked out of the palace and faced the demons. Shara summoned a powerful fireball and it smashed into the ranks of the front demons. However, they were not fazed. The remaining defenders of the city had gathered at the palace, everyone else was dead. They charged one last time against the demons. In the end, all were ripped to pieces and the red pentagram was raised to the top of the palace. The legions of Hell had secured another major victory.  
Kurast was not a stranger from destruction and desolation. However, its defenders had already been wearied from the long battle against the demons that had attacked so soon before. The armies of paladins fought on bravely and had soaked the ground with the blood of demons. Bones from skeleton warriors were strung all about and the tattered flesh of slain creatures covered the fields. The mighty walls of Kurast still stood, and a powerful shield of magic kept the demons from attacking with too much ease. However, the casualties on the side of the paladins were heavy. However, the arrival of dozens of mage clans strengthened the defenders' ranks. Now they merely waited for the next assault.  
  
They did not have to wait for long, for a massive assault was soon under way. Catapults launched powerful blasts of magic and pounded the shield that protected the city, weakening it. Suddenly Soul Burners flew down from the sky and clawed at the defenders. Many were dropped by the powerful spells casted by the mages, while others found their mark and killed their target. However, this was not the worst. Blood Knights appeared from the thick forest and charged. Archers and mages fired upon the creatures, slaughtering them. However, wave upon wave of them kept pressing against the walls and the defenders were running out of arrows. Suddenly a powerful beam of red energy struck the shield, shattering it completely. The demons leapt up onto the walls and attacked the defenders. The warriors fell back, unable to keep the Blood Knights from driving them back. They were killed in the scores but still the Blood Knights came. Finally the survivors were driven to the docks, barely keeping the demons from pushing them into the waters. The paladins and mages fought a brave rearguard, trying to buy time for the civilians to be evacuated on boats. However, one final push by the Blood Knights shattered their lines and chaos erupted. The few surviving paladins continued to fight, not giving in no matter the odds. Within minutes only three mortals were alive, continuing the fight and trying to avenge their comrades. Finally, they too were struck down by the blades of the Blood Knights.  
  
Kurast was in ruins. The massive city had been broken and the few boats that had not been able to get away in time lay burning in the harbor. Another flag was raised high above Kurast.  
The defenders of Harrogath were particularly stubborn. Assault after assault had failed, and the warriors had even launched a counterattack that drove back the demon armies nearly out of the Highlands. Dozens of barbarian tribes had come together and were now on the verge of completely destroying the demon armies that had dared invade their homeland. The forces of Hell had a new name for the Barbarian Highlands, the Dying Grounds. Five more armies of demons had been summoned from Hell and were barely enough to keep their foothold in the Highlands. Soon, the Master of Darkness was forced to resort to more extreme measures. The Ancients had still not finished cleansing the corruption from the Worldstone Chamber. The Master drew on the powers of the abyss and launched a massive attack from there. A massive rift was opened and to the horror of the Ancients powerful demon-mages stepped out. The mages destroyed each of the Ancients with one blow, annihilating their spirits forever. At the foothold, more demon-mages had been sent and they by themselves turned back the barbarian tribes. Their spells caused the bodies of the attacking barbarians to explode and shatter. Every attempt at physical and magical attack failed and even the druids were helpless. With their armies shattered, the Highlands were open once again to invasion.  
  
The demon-mages that had stepped through into the Worldstone Chamber exited it and began their assault on the city. Its defenders immediately attacked the creatures but to no avail. The first wave did not even reach the demons when their flash exploded and their bones were shattered. Others tried to use crossbows or bows against them, but their shots merely bounced off the armor of the creatures. They were then killed by a single blow from the demons. Anya ran out and tried to fight back against the demons but a powerful spell destroyed her strength and she laid crumbled on the ground. She was still alive, but didn't have the strength to continue fighting. She was forced to watch as more demon-mages appeared and slowly turned the city to ruins. Within minutes the rest of the inhabitants were dead and the legion of Hell had secured Harrogath. A red pentagram flag was raised high above the Citadel. Two large demons approached Anya and picked her up. They then carried her to the portal in the Worldstone Chamber leading down to Hell and took her through it.  
The followers of Rathma had completely destroyed the demon army that had tried to attack them. The blood and flesh of eight armies were spread all around their fortress city. The Priests of Rathma had prepared for this day and now prepared to travel to the site of the new Worldstone. It was there that the salvation of humanity could begin. They left behind a massive army of golems and skeletons, hoping that they would buy them enough time to get to the home of the Mage Slayers. When the demons attacked again, they were repulsed with heavy losses. The golems and skeletons had fought fanatically, not giving any ground. However, after five more assaults, all failing, the reserves of the golems and skeletons were exhausted. The demons finally broke through, but it had cost them over nine hundred thousand warriors to do so. Another hundred thousand demons quickly took up residence in the underground city, making sure that it was secured for their master. However, just as they were preparing to open the gate to Hell, the entire city clasped on top of them, killing all of the demons. Of all of the resistors, the barbarians and the necromancers had done the most damage to the demons.  
Kashya, Charsi, and Anya were all tied up so they could not resist. The three were tied to bloodstained crosses and were being paraded through hell, their armor and clothes in tattered pieces. The three women screamed as they tried to get free of their bonds, but to no avail. They were forced to look upon the horrors of Hell. Damned souls floated about, most of them screaming. Condemned souls tried to reach out and grab the demons, but were kicked back into the pool of souls. The three women weren't sure how long they could stand being subjugated to seeing all these horrors. Totems of dead demons and humans lined the path leading down to a massive Black Palace. There, statues of powerful demons that had caused so much pain and destruction guarded the entrance. The Prime Evils and the Lesser Evils were all present, and a new statue made of human bones and painted red with human blood was up. It was of Marko, the Master of Darkness. The three gasped when they recognized the face. However, they were unwilling to face the reality of their situation and refused to believe that Marko was behind all of this.  
  
As the three were carried into the palace, scavengers appeared and drooled at the three. However, the larger demon-mages kicked the scavengers out of the palace. The three were then brought to a chamber that had three large round pools of blood in a triangular order. The pools were connected to its adjacent one and in the center was a black platform. To the horror of the three, the crosses were implanted into the pools of blood. Their feet were barely above the blood, and some splashed up as the crosses were secured. Once that was done, the demon-mages took up positions all around the chamber and all turned to stone. That was when Marko walked in and finally it hit them who he was.  
  
"You're the one that ordered the invasion of Sanctuary," said Charsi, "Why Marko, why did you do this?"  
  
She was close to tears from the pain of her trust being destroyed so utterly. Marko merely smiled coldly at her.  
  
"What have you done to Falvie!" Kashya demanded.  
  
"And Qual-Kehk!" Anya added.  
  
"They are fine," Marko finally spoke, "The High Heavens is using them to assist in their defense. Right now, you should be more worried what's going to happen to you."  
  
A sinking feeling started to build up in all of them. Marko waved a hand and a blue fire started burning on the black platform.  
  
"As you know, the Prime Evils and the Lesser Evils were destroyed, all seven of them. They were banished to the abyss by me, and I personally destroyed the Soulstones of Baal, Diablo, and Mephisto. However, what is done can be undone."  
  
There was a clank and the three crosses slowly started going down. The three started struggling again, trying in vain to keep out of the blood. When it was at their waist, the crosses stopped descending. The warm blood made all of them feel numb and cold inside. The blood was pure, but the crosses were tainted. The blue flame grew brighter and slowly something appeared.  
  
"Arise, Andariel, Maiden of Anguish. Be reborn."  
  
The three women screamed as power seemed to cruise through their body. A form stood up in the flames and walked out. It was indeed Andariel, and Charsi and Kashya could only look upon the demon in horror. Andariel had corrupted many of their sisters and had desecrated their monastery. Now, she was back. Andariel knelt down before Marko. Of course, considering that Andariel was far larger than Marko, it did look strange. However, when she stood, the two looked more menacing than ever. A blue symbol suddenly became imprinted in Andariel's forehead. The demon ignored it and walked to the side. Another form was appearing in the flame.  
  
"Arise, Duriel, arise the Lord of Pain."  
  
The three had heard of Duriel, and also knew that Marko had killed him. Duriel looked like a large worm and it was a stranger sight to see him bowing down to Marko. A blue symbol was also imprinted on his forehead, this one different from that of Andariel's. It wasn't long before a third form took shape.  
  
"Arise, Azmodan, return to us, Lord of Cruelty."  
  
This time the creature was smaller, though it still looked hideous. The demon had head like that of a human, but arcane symbols were etched all over its face. However, the creature did not walk. It floated down to Marko and knelt to him. And so another leader of Hell had sworn fealty to the Master of Darkness. Finally the last of the Lesser Evils appeared.  
  
"Arise, Belial, I summon you, Lady of Torment."  
  
Another female figure walked out of the flames, but this demon was not hideous like Andariel. In reality, she looked much like any human woman, beautiful and alluring. With her swearing, the Lesser Evils were bound to the Master of Darkness.  
  
The three were lowered even further into the blood and all three begged to be released. The crosses stopped again when the blood was at neck level. Now most of their body was soaked in blood. The energy within them was slowly being drained, but they still had plenty of fight within themselves. It was there that they felt another surge of energy cruise through the blood and their bodies. A familiar form was taking shape in the flames. When it walked out, the three women could only stare in horror.  
  
"Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, welcome back to the Burning Hell."  
  
Mephisto looked at Marko and nodded to him. With that acknowledgement, a red symbol was etched onto his forehead. The three women were rather sure who else would return. A massive creature with a gigantic tail appeared and stomped down the platform.  
  
"Diablo, Lord of Terror."  
  
Diablo glared at Marko but also knelt. Like Mephisto, a red symbol appeared on his face. Finally, the last of the Prime Evils appeared.  
  
"Baal, Lord of Destruction, my right hand."  
  
Baal was an imposing being when he stood up, but he knelt down in front of Marko and his tentacles were lowered. A red symbol also glowed on his forehead. Marko then walked away from Baal and looked down at the three women still in the blood.  
  
"I have brought all of you back because I have need of you. Understand this. I will not tolerate disloyalty, and I can easily kill any of you again. Understand?"  
  
All of the demons nodded.  
  
"Good. Most of Sanctuary is ours, and our forces are preparing it as our staging ground for the invasion of the High Heavens."  
  
Marko turned and faced them again.  
  
"Ironic is it not, that it took the man that defeated all of in order to bring about the final victory? No matter. Andariel, you are to return to the Rogue Monastery and raise an army there. Duriel, you are to go to Harrogath and plant a corrupt Worldstone. Use that Worldstone to bring in more of our forces into the realm of the mortals. Also, use it to create more demon-mages. Belial, the Mage Slayers in Kejhistan guard the Worldstone. You are to lead your forces against them and either destroy or corrupt that Worldstone. Do not fail. The priests of Rathma have allied with the Mage Slayers and they are far more powerful than any of us had realized. Azmodan, the Amazons have made their home islands virtual fortresses. Penetrate them and bring the Amazons into line. I do not need them disturbing our plans."  
  
All of the Lesser Evils acknowledged their orders. Finally, at least some of them would be doing something more than sitting around and waiting.  
  
"Mephisto, you are to summon Hephasto and have him create another demonblade. Then you will return to Kurast and reestablish the Zakarum faith. Ensure that the surviving mortals follow your commands."  
  
Mephisto nodded upon hearing his orders.  
  
"Diablo, you are to return to the Western Kingdoms and bring them under our rule. Even though the Highlands are ours, we must have most of not all of Sanctuary under our rule."  
  
Diablo nodded as well.  
  
"Baal. You will remain here with me. There is something that requires your powers."  
  
Baal understood the order quite well. Out of the three brothers, he was the most powerful. It would most likely involve something very important and dangerous.  
  
"However, once Belial secures the second Worldstone, you are to go and corrupt it if she doesn't destroy it."  
  
That was another understandable order. Only the three Prime Evils and Marko had the power to corrupt a Worldstone. The Lesser Evils were not that powerful.  
  
"However, there is one more thing to take care of before you embark on your missions."  
  
Marko turned to the three women still in the pools of blood.  
  
"Their bodies will be used to host three special beings that I have obtained. Break their spirits to ensure they cause no problems when they are implanted with the souls of the creatures the beings also feel their hopelessness."  
  
Marko left the room, his black cape almost touching the ground. His back was turned to the three women, and they could only gap as the three Prime Evils and the four Lesser Evils prepared to torture them. Looks of despair were on their faces, and that soon turned to fear.  
Marko entered his private chamber and looked down upon the Burning Hell that he ruled. The abyss was close by and he could feel its power. He drew upon it, knowing that he was the only being to ever draw their power directly from the abyss. The dragon was resting at the edge of the abyss, not because it needed to, but because currently there was nothing for it to do. Occasionally it would eat a demon that was passing by but otherwise it did nothing but lay there. He then turned his gaze to three Soulstones. The High Heavens was not the only ones that could make Soulstones. Within the three had the spirits of three immensely powerful creatures slept. They had been captured by the Burning Hell during the first attempted siege of the High Heavens and had been imprisoned in the Soulstones for eons. After he had become corrupted he became aware of the three, but lacking proper hosts he simply left them in the Soulstones. However, now he had three perfect subjects for the hosts. He felt no remorse regarding what he was doing to people that were his friends. If he ever confronted his wife, he would most likely use her to house another spirit for his own amusement.  
  
Marko could almost hear the screams echoing through the palace from beneath him. The demons were truly enjoying inflicting pain upon the three women. Well, soon enough their spirits would be broken. A human in a black cloak similar to his appeared from the shadows.  
  
"My lord."  
  
Marko didn't turn to face him, but merely spoke.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The Pandemonium Fortress has been secured and the two blacksmiths of the Heavens have been killed."  
  
"Good. What of the link between it and the High Heavens?"  
  
"The Host severed it once the Fortress fell. We will not be able to utilize it."  
  
"No matter. We will break through soon. Dismissed."  
  
The man bowed before disappearing into the shadows again, but Marko didn't even pay any notice. A cup of red crystal appeared on the table and Marko picked it up. Blood was in it and he drank it all down in one gulp. Thoughts of his future plans ran through his head. Once the High Heavens was destroyed, Armageddon would soon follow. However, Armageddon would not come if the other world still remained. He would have to handle that once the Crystal Arch was destroyed, however.  
Kashya screamed out once again as another stinger pierced her skin. Belial was living up to her title as she tortured Kashya. She and Duriel were handling Kashya and the Rogue wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.  
  
"Perhaps we should carve that symbol onto her body," Duriel suggested.  
  
A Kris appeared in Belial's hand and she smiled.  
  
"Yes, we should."  
  
The cross was lifted out of the blood and exposed all of Kashya's body. Belial cut through the armor and fabric, breaking through to Kashya's skin. The demon continued carving, not disturbed by Kashya's screams and her jerky movements. Finally, the demon stopped and the cross was lowered back into the blood. However, when the blood touched the cuts, pain exploded all over again. Kashya screamed, giving up completely. She continued screaming until she was completely out of fight. She only whimpered as the pain grew worse, but could do nothing more.  
  
"My, what a disappointment," said Belial, "I thought these Rogues would stand up better to torture."  
  
"A pity," said Duriel, "We had not even gotten to the more interesting mutilations."  
  
"Ah well. So how are the other two standing up to their torture?"  
  
Andariel and Azmodan were occupied with Charsi, and they were not letting up. The blacksmith's entire body was on fire and she withered in pain. While Azmodan kept the fire going, Andariel had started stabbing Charsi with knives. Two were in the Rogue's breasts and another had been driven into her neck. Finally, she collapsed as well.  
  
"Well, she lasted longer than this one," Duriel noted.  
  
"Still, this isn't much fun," said Azmodan, "They gave in too quickly."  
  
"These mortals are weak," said Baal, "This one is giving up far too easily."  
  
A massive blade was in Anya's chest and the three Prime Evils were taking turns inflicting pain on her. Within seconds, she had been broken as well.  
  
A small Imp appeared and walked up to Mephisto.  
  
"Inform Lord Lyther that the hosts are ready," he said to the Imp.  
  
The Imp nodded and disappeared again.  
Marko didn't expect it to take too long and wasn't surprised when the Imp appeared moments later. He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and vanished in a burst of flames. The demons were waiting for him down in the Chamber of Summoning. The three Soulstones floated at his side, glowing brightly as the souls prepared to be implanted. The Lesser and Prime Evils recoiled at the sight of the three Soulstones.  
  
"You are mad!" said Diablo, "Unleashing them will seal our doom!"  
  
"I don't think so," said Marko.  
  
He raised his arm so that it would was level with the ground and the three Soulstones shot to their host. Each struck the heart and pierced their way in. The three women screamed, feeling the pure power within the Soulstones burn through their bodies. The demons all shielded themselves from the intense light, but Marko simply stood there, the light energy merely sliding off of him. Finally, it receded and much of the chamber was in ruins. The black platform at the center had been demolished and three beings were now present. Each was still tied to the cross, but they were no longer the mortals they had been.  
  
"Welcome to the Burning Hell, Sisters of the Light."  
  
The three Archangels kept their heads down as they slowly adjusted to their new bodies. They could feel the pain that their hosts felt, and tried to sooth them. However, their spirits had been broken and the Archangels could not bring them out of despair. Everything looked hopeless.  
  
The demons were all agitated, being in the presence of three of the most powerful Archangels of all time. The three sisters were the counterpart to the three Prime Evils, known as the Sisters of the Light. It had taken all of Hell and the full power of the Abyss to defeat them the first time, and seal them within Soulstones. This time, the demons were not sure if they could manage again. Marko had just brought their worst enemies into the heart of Hell.  
  
"The Ladies of Hope, Courage, and Prosperity, the opposites of the three Prime Evils. It is indeed an honor to meet you."  
  
"You are nothing but an animal," the Archangel inhabiting Charsi's body said. The voice was different, stronger and melodious. It had definitely succeeded.  
  
"Perhaps. So, you are Serenity, the Lady of Prosperity. Hmm. You indeed possess great strength, but you are still no match for me."  
  
"Your strength is not from within," the Archangel in Kashya's body said, "The power of the Abyss will end up destroying you."  
  
"That is where you are wrong," Marko replied, "I am a true immortal. Nothing can destroy me, nothing can contain me. I will remain until the end of time. So who are you? No, let me guess. Charity, the Lady of Hope."  
  
The other demons stayed away from the three crosses, but Marko walked between them as if he didn't even feel the righteous energy emanating from them.  
  
"And of course, Victoria, the Lady of Courage. I must say, I had thought your combined strength might actually be a threat to me, but apparently I am wrong. No, even with your combined might you are nowhere near strong enough to oppose me."  
  
"So why have you brought us here?" Victoria asked, using Anya's voice.  
  
"I have my reasons. One of them is to let you watch the High Heavens fall, of course, and the other is to bind you to me so I can draw on your powers."  
  
Theoretically this was possible, but few demons ever dared attempt something like this. Marko turned to face the Council of Hell.  
  
"You are to carry out your missions now," he said, "Leave us."  
  
The demons filed out and all but Baal and Mephisto left Hell. Baal was to remain and Mephisto still had to order Hephasto to create a new demonblade. Marko then turned his attention back to the three Archangels. The wounds that the Prime and Lesser Evils had inflicted had been healed, and the weapons they had used had fallen out. Marko waved his hand and the crosses started lowering into the pools of blood again. This time the crosses were submerged completely with the three Archangels still strapped on.  
  
"Have a nice drink," Marko said before disappearing in a blaze of fire.  
  
Marko reappeared by the Hellforge. Hephasto was creating a massive sword using metals that had been brought up from the Abyss itself. The absolute power of the Abyss would be embedded into the sword once it was completed. A dozen other dark mages were creating powerful arcane runes to be merged with the sword. Slowly the blade was being shaped into a recognizable weapon. The sword was about the size of a crystal sword, and also looked like one. However, instead of the cool blue color the weapon was a fiery red. When Hephasto struck it again, the blade exploded into fire and threw the smith back. The surrounding demons were all knocked back by the sheer power of the weapon. Hephasto got back onto his feet and went to work again, this time being more careful. He left four grooves for the four arcane runes to be placed in. The dark mages had finished making the first and were now concentrating on the second. Marko walked over and examined the first rune. It had the symbol of fire on it. With this rune, it was possible to set afire an entire nation and destroy everything in it. The other runes would be equally powerful and would contribute to the final product. Marko turned his attention back to Hephasto and noticed that the red sword had black veins running through it. It was almost finished. What had once taken thousands of years to make, was now being created in a matter of minutes. The power of the Abyss fueled the construction of the mighty weapon. Nothing would be able to stand up to the power of the new demonblade, not even the Dragon of the Abyss. Hephasto pounded on it one more time before the sword was completed. Marko took the first rune and placed it in the first spot. Red energy streamed through the veins and the rune fused into the sword. The red metal then melted over the rune and covered it. Another dark mage approached him and gave him the second rune. This one had the symbol for ice on it. Fire and ice was a powerful combination, but they also created absolute light. However, it was a risk Marko was willing to take. He placed the second rune in and blue energy cruised through the veins. The demonblade seemed to shake at first but settled down. A second mage came up to him and gave him the third rune. This one had the symbol of shadows on it. Shadow could blanket light and make it darkness, and in that way the strength of the light within this sword would be turned to darkness. The veins became gray as the power of the rune was added to the sword. The fourth and final rune had the symbol of lightning on it. Marko placed the final rune in and white light streamed through it before finally the weapon was complete.  
  
"The Darkscythe," said Marko, "This is the new demonblade. This weapon cannot be destroyed."  
  
And there, the Master of Darkness gained his true powers. Marko felt the shadows and darkness envelope him and turn him into a being of pure energy. With Darkscythe, he was unstoppable.  
  
End of Chapter 8  
  
I'm rather surprised this was so long. Well, here's another twist.  
  
Z98 


	9. The Objective

I currently have a weapon that the game calls Shadow Fang, two words. So far it's served me well as the only demon that is able to stand up against it is Izual, and he is pretty strong. Right now, I'm struggling to find equipment that is better that what I already have, and I have so much lousy gold that it is getting ridiculous. Also, I have so many runes, jewels, and gems that I am out of room in my stash. This is really getting on my nerves. Oh, two things. Out of simple curiosity, where exactly do you meet Hadriel, the angel that guards the Chaos Sanctuary, and where the bloody hell is the Hellforge! And I am also aware that Blizzard already gave titles to the other Lesser Evils, but I didn't have them on hand and I kind of feel like it's unbalanced with so many guys and only one girl, so I adapted.  
  
Chapter 9: The Objective  
  
Marko had returned to the chamber where the three Archangels were held. Each of them was as powerful as Kailua, if not more. However, their power was cut off and he was drawing on it now. They would most likely be imprisoned here forever as an energy source for him. It was cruel, but he was the Dark Lord of Hell. What did he care about kindness?  
  
"My Lord."  
  
"Baal. What is it?"  
  
"The Amazons have fallen and their island is ours."  
  
"Good. What of the progress on the assault of the Worldstone?"  
  
"Unfortunately, the remaining mortals gathered there are resisting with an extreme fanaticism. They have smashed over two million of our troops."  
  
"They are desperate. Baal, go and relieve Belial and send her back. You managed to capture the Worldstone once, it shouldn't be a problem for you to do it again."  
  
Baal nodded and left the chamber. Marko turned his attention back to the three Archangels. They had been raised out of the blood and hung there. Each of them was extremely beautiful, and the blood running down their bodies only made them more desirable. He was rather sure their blood tasted sweet, but Marko controlled himself. Once Kailua was brought to him, he would satisfy his hunger and lust. Perhaps he should taste one of the Archangels before him. He finally decided to forget about it and left the room. The crosses lowered back into the blood again, submerging the Archangels.  
  
============================================================================  
  
The Sisters of the Light had managed to pull away from their bodies and were conversing on another plane of existence. The souls of their hosts were also present, but they were hallow husks of what had been great women.  
  
"The Master of Darkness," said Serenity, "Who would have thought the prophecies were true?"  
  
"And to think that he was human," added Victoria, "He could have laid waste to the High Heavens already. Why is he waiting?"  
  
"He is waiting for the perfect moment to strike," said Charity, "Marko knows that if he struck immediately, unorganized, he could lose. However, with what he has done, he has increased his chance of success greatly."  
  
"Shadowfang was destroyed," said Victoria, "Marko had actually led the assault to destroy it. But it does no good, for a new demonblade has been created."  
  
"Darkscythe," said Serenity, "I can feel its power even from here."  
  
"We are still connected to the mortal realm," Charity reminded them, "Therefore, we still have a means of gaining information."  
  
"Unfortunately, we cannot use the information. We are bound here and I doubt Marko would be stupid enough to let down his guard and allow us to escape."  
  
"Marko."  
  
The three Archangels looked over at Charsi. Her eyes were blank and unreadable. She had been the first of the three hosts to speak.  
  
"How could he do this to his friends," said Victoria, "He is no longer human. He is more demon than human."  
  
"Perhaps we can kill him with our powers," Serenity suggested, "He draws upon them and utilizes them. What if we could change the flows somewhat so it would start harming him?"  
  
"That is possible," said Victoria, "However, it may take centuries to do so."  
  
"We might as well start," said Charity, "Even if we take that long to kill him, we would still be doing some good."  
  
============================================================================  
  
Baal was present leading one of the largest demon armies ever amassed. Within the ranks some of the most powerful demons ever created from the Abyss were gathered for one last push for control of the Worldstone. The defenders of the Worldstone had been wearied by the unstopping assaults the legion of Hell was launching, and had been driven out of their main camp. Now they were gathered just outside and above the Worldstone Chamber, preparing for one last desperate attempt to keep the Worldstone safe. Though the Worldstone was still young, it had enough power that whenever a demon approached it, it immediately began to accumulate wounds. This caused attacking very costly on the demon's part, and this one advantage had helped keep the tide in favor of the mortals. Baal fired a powerful beam of black energy at the center of the camp of defenders, and was able to shatter the magic shield that protected the camp. Demons teleported in and hacked away, disappearing moments later to recover. Baal created a clone of himself and sent the creature down. Many of the defenders tried to challenge the beast but fell before its incredible power. The army of demons descended upon the large fortress-camp and slew anyone that got in their way. The Necromancers summoned armies of skeletons and golems, finally stopping the demons in their tracks. This gave the other defenders a chance to catch their breath and soon a counterattack was underway. The demons were expecting it and managed to smash it with little difficulty. The defenders had taken dreadful casualties and many were on the verge of despair when dozens of bright forms appeared. The Angels attacked the demons and annihilated the entire first wave. Baal's clone was cut to pieces by three Archangels who then turned their attention to the army of demon-mages. The demon-mages unleashed powerful spells but they barely touched the Archangels. The ground erupted at the feet of the demons and swallowed them up before closing again. More Angels poured through and finally killed the remaining attackers. Another assault had been defeated.  
  
"Thank you," the leader of the Necromancers said, "If you had not come, we would have lost."  
  
The lead Archangel touched down and the light receded around her. Many in the camp gasped when they recognized Kari.  
  
"Kari?" said Herad, "Is that really you?"  
  
"It is I," Kari replied, "I have come to offer you the help of the High Heavens in the defense of the Worldstone."  
  
"Of course we accept," said Ofier, the leader of the Necromancers, "However, why does the High Heavens start interfering with our world now?"  
  
"Because if the Worldstone falls, the High Heavens will be exposed to direct invasion from Hell," said Kari, "and it is very likely that the Master of Darkness will succeed in destroying the High Heavens."  
  
Herad nodded. "We will not allow the Master of Darkness to defeat us. If we must, we will go down to Hell and kill him."  
  
"No! You mustn't do such a thing. And besides, you cannot kill him. He is too powerful."  
  
"Who is the Master of Darkness?" Ofier asked.  
  
Kari didn't answer and merely disappeared in a flash of light. One of the other Archangels left with her, but the Angels and the last Archangel remained.  
  
"You must understand the pain that Kailua feels," the Archangel said, "She mourns for her love."  
  
"Marko failed?" said Herad.  
  
"In a way, yes. Marko Lyther has been corrupted and has become the Master of Darkness."  
  
============================================================================  
  
"Baal."  
  
"Angels and Archangels of the Heavens interfered," said Baal, "They destroyed our forces."  
  
"You failed."  
  
"What would you have me do, attack again uselessly and allow myself to be destroyed?"  
  
Marko flicked his hand towards Baal and a red energy sphere shot out. It struck the Lord of Destruction and he exploded into flames. Baal screamed out as his body was being slowly consumed. Marko raised his arm and a yellow stream of energy flowed into his hand. Baal then exploded and nothing remained of him except for some ashes. The stream stopped and Marko opened his hand, revealing a black gem.  
  
"That is the price of failure," he said to the remaining Council members.  
  
Belial swallowed. It could easily have been her, for she had also failed to capture the Worldstone. The images of the other Evils blinked out and soon they were alone.  
  
"Belial. What should I do to you for failing me as well?"  
  
"I was not given sufficient time to take care of them," said Belial, "If you give me another chance, I am sure I will not fail you."  
  
"Stop begging. It's unbecoming of a member of the Council. You currently have nothing to fear, I never expected you to be able to penetrate the defenses of the defenders. However, there is something you can do."  
  
"What is it, my lord?"  
  
"You will go to Mephisto and inform him that I sent you to assist him. You are to be the Priestess of Zakarum and oversee the sacrifices. I also want you to oversee the construction of the new Hellgate. It will be needed to ensure our success."  
  
"Yes my lord."  
  
Belial then teleported out of the room. Marko walked into the chamber where the Archangels were held and raised one of the crosses. On it was Serenity. She looked up at him and tried to ignore the blood dripping off of her body. Marko floated over to her and stopped level to her.  
  
"Do you know what this is?" he asked her, showing her the black gem.  
  
Serenity didn't bother to answer. In truth, she had never seen anything like it before. Also, she didn't want to look at it. The gem was emanating dark powers all over the room. It was making her sick.  
  
"So you've never seen one. Good. I'll have the pleasure to tell you want it is. This gem holds the power of Destruction, the exact opposite of yours. Do you know what I plan on doing with it?"  
  
"You're going to absorb it," Serenity answered.  
  
"Wrong. You're going to absorb it."  
  
Serenity stared at Marko in horror. Now she realized what Marko intended to do with the black gem. He was going to corrupt her.  
  
"Correct, my dear Archangel."  
  
Marko smiled wickedly as he placed the black gem over her heart. Slowly the gem melted into her body. The Archangel tried to scream but no sound came out of her mouth. After it was completely in her body, Serenity felt as if something was taking over. In seconds, her mind was completely changed.  
  
"Welcome to Hell, Lady of Destruction. What shall I call you?"  
  
"My name is Kyris," she answered.  
  
"Kyris. As your first order, you are to spy on the other two Archangels for me and inform me of what they are trying to do. Understand?"  
  
Kyris nodded.  
  
Marko took out a rune and implanted it into her head. The symbol glowed for a second before disappearing.  
  
"Good. Understand, I do not tolerate disloyalty."  
  
Kyris nodded before she was lowered back into the pool of blood. She drank down as much as she wanted, feeling satisfied with the warm blood flowing over her.  
  
Marko left the chamber, part of his plan fulfilled. Now he knew that it was possible to corrupt an Archangel quickly. He just needed Mephisto and Diablo to slip up, and soon he would have under his control the three most powerful Archangels of all time.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Geysers of fire erupted all around the High Heavens. They formed a wall of fire around the Heavens, ensuring that nothing entered or escaped. Suddenly dozens of massive serpentine dragons flew out from the geysers and breathed fire upon the city. A blue shield stopped the fire but the dragons did not give up. Soon a massive army had also amassed and the first assault on the High Heavens began.  
  
"Angels! Attack!"  
  
Kailua and Tyrael led the massive counterattack of the Angels and Archangels. The Companions followed close behind. There were fierce melee battles all around, demons swarming the defenders of Heaven. What surprised her was that Diablo, the Lord of Terror, was present. He was killing dozens of Angels that tried to stand in his way and none could stand up to him. Kailua flew over and smashed him to the side with one blow. She summoned her powers again and blasted him. Diablo countered and fired a powerful red lightning bolt. Kailua dodged it and struck back. The two powerful beings attacked and defended, but neither could gain the upper hand. Suddenly Tyrael was with her and knocked Diablo back. The two Archangels forced the Lord of Terror to flee before rejoining the battle with their comrades. The demons had taken horrendous casualties and were being pushed back. Suddenly the dragons turned their attention to the defenders and attacked. This forced the warriors to fall back and merely hold a line. Within a few more minutes, it was over.  
  
"Kari."  
  
Kailua looked at Fara.  
  
"It's Falvie."  
  
Kailua flew over to her friend. Falvie was lying on the ground, an arrow punching through her heart. Kailua hugged the body, praying for her friend's soul. Tears ran down her eyes as the pain built up.  
  
============================================================================  
  
"My lord."  
  
Marko stood and looked over at Diablo.  
  
"You were repulsed."  
  
"Apologies my lord, but was not the objective to gain a foothold?"  
  
"Yes. You did succeed there. How soon will we be ready for another assault?"  
  
"Our forces are massing. It will only take a little longer."  
  
"Very well. Leave me."  
  
Diablo teleported out of the room, leaving Marko. He let a smile creep onto his face, a smile that would have scared anyone that saw it. For some odd reason, he was wearing an odd piece of metal on his belt. It looked like a rectangular tube with another rectangle attached to the bottom sticking down. Unknown to anyone else, this was actually a weapon he had procured from Earth. Yes, the other world of humanity. The remaining forces gathered around Sanctuary's Worldstone were preparing to travel to Earth to prepare that world to repel his forces. The fools. He would be ready to invade Earth long before they were able to penetrate the barrier between their world and Earth.  
  
Mephisto appeared in the room.  
  
"You summoned me, my lord?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Marko raised his hand and sucked Mephisto's energy from his body. The Lord of Hatred screamed out in pain and exploded into flames. Another black crystal appeared in Marko's hand. He really should have destroyed Diablo as well, but he still needed the Lord of Terror for one more thing. He walked into the chamber where the three Archangels were held. Charity was raised up and Marko didn't bother to explain what he was doing. He placed the crystal over her heart and it latched on. It pulled itself in and flowed into her body. She screamed, but once the power of the crystal took hold of her, she stopped. She then looked at Marko, black light shining out of her eyes.  
  
"One more to go," he said, "So what is your name?"  
  
"Phallus."  
  
Marko smiled and Phallus returned it as she was lowered back into the pool of blood. Marko turned immediately and left. There were preparations he needed to take care of. Darkscythe was still at his side, and this sword would be extremely useful when the confrontation came.  
  
============================================================================  
  
The High Heavens had summoned all the warriors it could in order to defend the Crystal Arch. Kailua was floating in the main plaza with her friends, simply resting and waiting for the next battle. The armies of Hell also waited as it gathered more and more strength.  
  
"We should attack and try to disperse them," said Qual-Kehk, "Simply sitting here will do no good."  
  
"We cannot," said Kailua, "If even one of us steps outside, we would immediately be beset upon by demons. It would be suicide."  
  
"How did Marko defeat all those creatures in Hell?" said Fara, "If we knew that, we might be able to stop him."  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
The others looked at Kailua. Ever since Falvie's death, she had become more and more withdrawn. That was not a good sign.  
  
"Kari, come on."  
  
Fara took hold of Kailua's hand and she returned to the ground. The light shining around her disappeared and she was Kari again, fragile and in pain. Fara hugged her and Kari couldn't help but cry. Falvie's death had proved to her that Marko might be beyond redemption.  
  
"It's going to be okay," she said, "Come on Kari. It's going to be okay."  
  
"You don't know that," Kari muttered, "Marko's going to destroy us."  
  
"If he really wanted to destroy us, he would have done so already. Why hasn't he?" Greiz asked.  
  
"I don't know," Kari cried, "I just don't know anymore."  
  
Fara gave the others a worried look. None of them knew what to do. Kari had been such a strong spirit before, but now she had been shattered. Hopefully she would last through this confrontation.  
  
============================================================================  
  
"My lord."  
  
Marko was sitting on his throne when Belial appeared.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"May I inquire as what you are intending? You have the High Heavens at your mercy, but you do not attack them."  
  
"The High Heavens is merely an obstacle to true power," said Marko, "They will fall once I say so."  
  
"I see. Then what is your true objective?"  
  
"It has occurred to me that the forces of Hell are merely pawns, even I," Marko began, "The High Heavens communicates with its masters through the Crystal Arch, yet what we are doing satisfies our masters. Well, I will not stand for this. I am the Master of Darkness, and no one is my master."  
  
Belial had some idea what he was talking about. It had always been whispered by the more powerful demons that whoever was the Lord of Hell was, there was always someone or ones that were above them. Apparently, that was true and Marko didn't like it.  
  
"So what will you do?" Belial asked.  
  
"You certainly ask a lot of questions," said Marko.  
  
"I merely wish to learn your intent so I can serve you better."  
  
"Then you are dismissed. Oh, and tell Diablo to launch another assault on the High Heavens. Once that assault is over, he is to return and see me."  
  
Belial bowed and teleported. Everything was going according to Marko's plan.  
  
============================================================================  
  
The defenders of the High Heaven immediately responded to the attack by the forces of Hell. Diablo was at the front, smashing Angels that challenged him into pieces. Three Archangels flanked him and attacked, one of them was Kailua. He fired powerful red lightning spells at them, but all of them were immune to lightning. Fire was another story. Diablo unleashed Apocalypse spells on the Archangels and wounded two. Kailua dodged his attacks and attacked with the Valor of Light. Diablo tried to back away from the sword, but Kailua kept up her attack. Around her massive battles raged. Fara and the Companions faced down armies of demons and defeated them, equipped with powerful weapons of the Host. Kailua concentrated on her own battle, trying to kill Diablo. Suddenly a spear punched through his chest and Diablo screamed in pain. He swept his hand back and caught Greiz in the motion of backing away. The blow severed his head and it fell to the battleground. Greiz's body fell, exploding into flames and finally disappearing.  
  
"Greiz!" Kailua screamed.  
  
She charged at Diablo and cried out as she brought the Valor of Light down on him. Diablo unleashed a powerful beam of black energy, but it dissipated once it got close to Kailua. She slashed at Diablo and felt the blade get stuck as it stopped slicing through in Diablo's chest. His head had been shredded and his body was starting to set on fire. A massive explosion threw her back hard and she landed on her back. When she stood, she saw the demon armies retreating. Rikardo walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You did well," he said, "The real Marko would be proud."  
  
Kailua tried to smile but ended up crying in his arms. Only in battle did she forget her pains, but it was in battle that more was created.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Marko was playing with another black gem. The remaining Lesser Evils were gathered and looked at Marko nervously. With the last failure, many were sure that dying at the hands of an Archangel was better than dying at Marko's hand. He stood and walked to the Archangels. Victoria looked at him and then at her two sisters. She could definitely feel the dark aura now and she was pretty sure what the black gem was for. She tried to struggle but it was useless. Finally, the last Sister of Light had been corrupted.  
  
"And what are you called?" Marko said.  
  
"Dyth."  
  
Marko nodded. With a wave of his hands the three sisters were released from the crosses. They floated down and black wings extended from their bodies. Black armor also surrounded them and their eyes even turned black.  
  
"Very well," he said, "Each of you is stronger than any Archangel in the High Heavens. Now, you serve me. Come. It is time for what I meant for you three to do."  
  
Everyone in the chamber disappeared and reappeared in front of the Hellgate leading to Kurast. They stepped through and were greeted by the sight of humans chained and forced to march to cages.  
  
"Belial, is the site ready?" Marko asked.  
  
"Yes my lord, just as you had requested."  
  
Marko led the strange procession as they walked towards a large open-air temple. It was circular in design and had a large triangle inside. There was also a giant pyre of red energy spouting into the air.  
  
"Take your positions," Marko ordered the three sisters.  
  
The three sisters moved to where their symbol was and stood there.  
  
"Powers of Terror, Destruction, and Hatred," Marko chanted, "Come forth and open the way to Earth."  
  
Yellow energy came from Kyris, red from Dyth, and purple from Phallus. Their energy shot into the pyre and turned the red color into a dark blue. The pyre of energy then shot up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. However, Marko was quite aware of what was happening. The energy struck something and started spreading out all over it. It was a sphere and the size of Sanctuary. Finally, an entire planet appeared. The barrier on the planet was shattered and struck down onto the planet. A large iron tower shaped like an obelisk was shattered by the power. Energy swept throughout the city and wiped it out. Soon all that remained of what had been a might city was a large crater.  
  
"It is done," said Marko, "Prepare for the invasion of Earth."  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
Yes, this chapter is shorter, but I needed to end it so I can work on something else.  
  
Z98 


	10. Desolation

Two things. Actually, a few things. One, if you have a problem with my grammar, be civil when you tell me about it. Two, the game is really pissing me off. I'm currently a level 40 trying to get to 41 since I need to be at that level to use this thing I have. Anyways, I'm still looking for a replacement sword. I've had Shadow Fang since before I killed Mephisto in normal mode, so that's kind of sad. And I finally managed to replace my Rogue's bow. It was getting rather pathetic as she's had that bow since the first act of the normal campaign. Oh, one more thing. This chapter focuses on a rather interesting development, and only slows down after a little while. Therefore, there won't be much in the way of actual fighting.  
  
Chapter 10: Desolation  
  
Marko was sitting on his throne, considering his options when Phallus appeared in the chamber.  
  
"My lord?"  
  
Marko nodded towards her.  
  
"Phallus. I assume you've heard."  
  
She nodded too. "It is said that a power greater than you has summoned you."  
  
"Yes. After all this time, whoever's been manipulating Hell has decided to show their faces. I'm to meet one of their representatives in a few minutes."  
  
"What will you do?" Phallus asked.  
  
"I'm not sure yet. I don't know how powerful they are, and that could be a problem."  
  
"How could they be more powerful than you?"  
  
Marko smiled. In many ways, they could be.  
  
"When are you supposed to meet them?" Phallus asked.  
  
"Actually, I'll be leaving now."  
  
Marko shimmered and left the chamber. Phallus sighed. It was hard to do your master's bidding if he kept disappearing like that.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Marko appeared in a large chamber and turned to face a man standing a few feet from him. The man had black hair and for some reason his eyes were black as well.  
  
"Lord Marko of Darkness," he said.  
  
"Why exactly am I here?" Marko asked the man. He could sense the man's power, and it was far greater than his. If there were others like him, he might be in trouble.  
  
"I am Fleet Admiral Drake, the Lord of the Night," the man replied, "You have been summoned because your interference with Earth has upset the plans of the Council."  
  
"And what is this council?"  
  
"The Council of Eternity has directed the war against the Host since the beginning," said Drake, "The Council does not wish for Earth to be attacked yet, and you have displeased several of the council members."  
  
"I was not aware of their plans," said Marko. Though he may lack a soul, he still was intelligent enough to realize that he couldn't face down this Council by himself.  
  
"We are aware of that. However, we have a proposition for you. If you are willing to become a Representative of the Council, you will retain your powers and we will handle unraveling this mass you've made."  
  
"A Representative? That is all?"  
  
"Do not assume too much," Drake warned, "I am a Representative, but I hold power greater than any other mortal. Believe me when I say this. Being a Representative means you have true power. Either take it or leave it. It is your choice."  
  
"And if I refuse?"  
  
"I will execute you myself."  
  
Marko nodded. "Very well, I accept."  
  
Drake raised his hand and white light shone out of it. The light struck Marko and he screamed out in pain.  
  
"One requirement of being a Representative is that you have a soul," said Drake.  
  
============================================================================  
  
Marko woke up in some kind of room. As he thought things over, he suddenly realized what he had done.  
  
"My god, how could I?"  
  
He tried to get up but pain shot through his body and forced him back down. A nurse walked in and looked down at him.  
  
"You're awake. I'll get the admiral."  
  
Marko barely heard her but his head snapped up when he felt an immensely powerful being enter the room. It was Drake.  
  
"I assume your soul has been successfully restored," he said.  
  
Marko nodded, the tears starting to dry up.  
  
"Very well. A shuttle is prepared and will return you to Sanctuary."  
  
"I don't deserve to return. I laid waste to my homelands and killed those that trusted me."  
  
"Time has been reversed," Drake informed him, "The population of Sanctuary is not aware of the invasion. However, those in Heaven remember it clearly though it has not taken place yet."  
  
"Yet?"  
  
"The invasion may still begin if you do not return to Sanctuary. You must destroy the Dragon of the Abyss."  
  
"Then I'll go back," said Marko, "If it means keeping Kari safe."  
  
"Do you want us to send a message to your wife?"  
  
"Just tell her that I'm back," said Marko, "Tell her that I'm no longer the Master of Darkness."  
  
"But you still are," Drake reminded him, "You are and forever will be the Master of Darkness."  
  
"But I don't have to bloody act like it," Marko spat, "Now where's the transport? I need to get home."  
  
"One of the officers will show you there. Oh, and it doesn't matter if your wife knows whether you're a Representative of the Council or not. She'll probably be informed by the Host once you've returned."  
  
"How messed up will my life be when I get back?" Marko asked.  
  
"Depends on if you're willing to fix it. Now get going. You're not the only one trying to get work done."  
  
Marko was given some kind of battle armor to wear. It was a rich blue and looked pretty sturdy, even if it was a bit thin for Marko's taste. He was also given Darkscythe back, though Marko wanted to throw it away. However, he might need it when he returned. The Dragon of the Abyss was still a powerful being.  
  
When Marko arrived at the gate, he was surprised that they were actually in space. Apparently they were in some kind of structure orbiting a planet. He had heard of the satellites that orbited the Earth, but had not seen anything this large. Perhaps these people were truly powerful. He got onto some kind of transport and strapped down. The shuttle departed from the station and headed towards Sanctuary.  
  
"Lord Lyther."  
  
Marko looked up and found a man in black armor standing next to him.  
  
"I am Colonel Harrison of the Brotherhood of the Night. We have been ordered to act as your bodyguards and to also teach you how to access your other powers."  
  
"My other powers?"  
  
"Tapping into the power of the Abyss is useful, but if you can merge that with the power already in you, then you would be truly powerful. If you're willing to learn."  
  
"I assume I don't really have a choice."  
  
Harrison shrugged. "It would be useful in your role as a Representative."  
  
"Very well then. Are you going to help me face down the Dragon?"  
  
Harrison shook his head. "My men have orders not to interfere with that battle. Any others, however, we will help you."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Get some rest sir. It'll be a while before we get to Sanctuary."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Kari wasn't exactly sure she believed what had happened. Apparently Time itself had been reversed and so the battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hell had never happened. That also meant that the people who had died were now alive, and Sanctuary was still safe. And there was another matter too. The three Archangel sisters had returned, but they were in the bodies of Charsi, Kashya, and Anya. They informed the High Heavens of exactly how they came to be in the bodies of three mortals and Kari had a chance to talk with the three women. The three weren't too annoyed with having to share their bodies, but they were saddened to know that Marko had betrayed them. And that led to the final question. What exactly had happened to Marko.  
  
"All I remember is that he said something about going to meet some power greater than him," said Charity. She was still in Kashya's body and had not transformed into her angelic form.  
  
"What power can be greater than Marko?" Kari asked, "He was the Lord of Hell."  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
Everyone looked over at Tyrael.  
  
"What do you mean Tyrael?" Anya asked. Victoria stayed in the background, letting her host speak as she wished.  
  
"There are other universes in which the fight between light and darkness takes place," he explained, "The Host has always led the light in the fight, and the Council of Eternity has always led darkness. However, there is a third side. Chaos. Chaos does not work for either of us and is a third faction entirely. Many times we the Host and the Council have set aside our differences to defeat Chaos, but otherwise we have always fought each other. Marko may have meant the Council of Eternity. There is a total of eleven members, all easily far more powerful than any of us. The Members of the Council rarely fight themselves, unless they are challenging another Member. Instead they use Representatives of the Council or Candidates of the Council. Representatives are as powerful as the most powerful Archangel, but they are rarely called upon. They themselves use lesser agents. Candidates are people who would become a Member if their patron dies. Many times they themselves kill their patron in order to ascend, but that is extremely difficult as their patron might attempt to kill them as well."  
  
"So you think Marko made some kind of deal with this Council?" Kari asked.  
  
"It is likely that the Council reversed time," said Serenity, "However, we still don't know what happened to Marko. If he returns, we will know he is allied with the Council."  
  
"What will happen then?" Fara asked, "Marko is still a friend to us. Is it possible to restore his soul?"  
  
"That would depend," said Victoria, taking over the body, "If he is important enough to the Council, they will have restored his soul themselves. If they didn't we might have a chance at it. We could petition the Council to allow us to do so. Doing it without their permission would bring destruction upon Sanctuary again."  
  
Suddenly an Angel appeared.  
  
"Archangel Kailua, a message has arrived from the Lord Lyther."  
  
"What? What is it!"  
  
"He says that he is returning to Sanctuary and for you not to worry. He has a soul again."  
  
Kari let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"That's good to hear. When will he arrive?"  
  
"In three hours."  
  
"What!"  
  
The Angel bowed and disappeared.  
  
"But this means that Marko is an important ally to the Council," said Kari, "But, he's my husband. I won't let that be in our way!"  
  
"Do not worry Kailua," Tyrael said, trying to sooth her. "You are his wife and there is nothing the High Heavens will do to attempt to destroy that."  
  
"Good."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"Lord Lyther. We have arrived."  
  
Marko nodded and stood.  
  
"Where exactly are we?"  
  
"We are in Kurast and will be using the Inferno Gate buried under the city to reach the Burning Hell."  
  
"I assume the Pandemonium Fortress no longer exists?"  
  
"That is correct."  
  
Marko stepped out of the shuttle and saw many paladins, mages, and civilians gathered around the shuttle. They were looking in wonder at the massive shuttle, having never seen anything like it before. However, many knew who Marko was.  
  
"Let's go," he said to his guards.  
  
The squadron of soldiers surrounded Marko and escorted him towards the ruined Temple of Light. Marko entered the Temple, fully aware that many people were watching him. However, the way down had also been destroyed.  
  
"We can phase through," said Harrison, "You do know how to do that, right?"  
  
Marko nodded and walked through the wall with the other soldiers behind him. They walked for a while until they came out of the stone walls into the chamber that held the Inferno Gate.  
  
"So this is the Inferno Gate," said Harrison, "Doesn't look like much."  
  
Marko gave him a look before walking up to the gate. He could hear the screaming of damned souls as they tried to escape Hell, but they could not leave.  
  
"Let's go," he said.  
  
The soldiers stepped into Hell and appeared with a massive army of demons before them.  
  
"Lord Lyther, save your strength. We will take care of them."  
  
"I thought you couldn't help me in this battle."  
  
Now it was Harrison that gave Marko a look. "We cannot fight the Dragon for you. However, that doesn't mean we can't kill demons for you."  
  
The warriors all drew their swords and attacked. Marko wasn't sure if he could even see them as they stormed the army of demons. He saw body parts flying all around as the warriors sliced through the enemy troops. From time to time black fire erupted that seemed to wipe out half of the demons, but more poured in. The Venom Lords and Abyss Knights kept coming. Suddenly Marko saw the Dragon.  
  
"Well, might as well get it over with."  
  
Marko drew his sword and suddenly felt pressure along his back. Slowly the pressure grew until pain shot throughout is spine. He screamed out in pain as suddenly two black wings, like that of a raven's sprouted and grew. They finally stopped and Marko fell to his knees. However, he now felt the burning power within Darkscythe. It was time to destroy the Dragon.  
  
Marko took flight, flapping the wings on his back and shot towards the Dragon. The beast unleashed black fire at Marko but he simply flew right through it, ignoring the power that the Dragon was producing. Suddenly the black fire turned dark blue and struck Marko down. He fell to the ground, his wings cushioning the fall. Demons were upon him in seconds but as they approached him they simply vaporized. Marko got back up and this time fired dark energy at the Dragon. It struck the beast and the creature roared out in pain.  
  
By now the other soldiers had literally destroyed almost every demon that was present. They quickly turned their attention to Marko and watched the battle closely.  
  
Marko tore the ground apart with a gesture and pillars of fire shot out and bathed the beast. The creature tried to dodge it but its whole body got burned. It retaliated and started freezing all of Hell. Demons unfortunate enough to be on the ground froze right over and died while the soldiers took to the air and stayed there.  
  
Marko took flight himself, ignoring the pain in his wings. He got under the Dragon and stabbed Darkscythe deep into its stomach, injuring the creature. The Dragon knocked him away with a swipe of its claws, cutting through the armor but not hurting Marko. He in turn flew over the Dragon and drove Darkscythe deep into the one spot the Dragon could not reach. The Dragon whipped Marko with its tail and he fell of the creature's back, but the sword continued to plow deeper and deeper into the beast. The Dragon roared frantically, unable to reach the sword. Finally, hole started appearing throughout its body and black light shone out. The creature roared one more time before it exploded, its blood and guts splashing all over the battlefield. Marko himself was splashed by a massive amount of blood. However, Darkscythe survived and floated to Marko. It too was colored red by the Dragon's blood. Marko took the sword and felt the power flow through him again. The gash in his armor disappeared and the crack in his wings healed. He withdrew his wings and sheathed the sword. The other warriors approached him.  
  
"Nicely done, Lord Lyther," said Harrison.  
  
"Let's get out of here," said Marko.  
  
"Very well. Do you want to go back to Kurast or the High Heavens?"  
  
Marko considered the choices. He could continue to dodge Kari or meet her right now. It was actually a rather difficult decision but he made it.  
  
"Let's go see Kari."  
  
Harrison opened a red portal and the men walked through. When Marko reappeared, the blood was gone from his face and hair yet it was still on his armor. That was better than nothing. Before them stood the gates into the High Heavens.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"Alarm!"  
  
Angels and Archangels flew to the gate and exited, surrounding the group of warriors. Kari and the Companions also joined them, but instead of attacking Kari ran up to Marko and hugged him. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she cried, glad to see her love. Marko returned the hug but eyed the warriors of the Heavens nervously. He didn't want to kill anyone here, but some looked like they would attack anyways. However, Tyrael and the three sisters appeared and waved the other Angels away.  
  
"Lord Lyther. It is a pleasure to see you restored."  
  
Marko nodded but held onto Kari. He wasn't exactly sure what the Host's rules were about relationships between Representatives and Archangels. However, Tyrael didn't stop either of them.  
  
"So what happens now?" Marko asked.  
  
"We return to Sanctuary," Harrison said, "I have your orders from the Council."  
  
Marko nodded. "So what are all of you going to do?"  
  
"I plan on staying with Kari," said Fara, "I'm sorry Marko, but I'm not sure I know you anymore. After all you've done?"  
  
"Of course," said Marko, "You want to protect her."  
  
"I think all of us will return with Kari," said Greiz, "Hell, Lut Gholein is getting dull and I'm sure me and my men can be of some service to you. But we're not going to kill innocent people."  
  
"I would never ask any of you to do such a thing."  
  
"Me and the Iron Wolves should also move on," said Asheara, "We'll come with you."  
  
Marko sighed. "Maybe I can restore the trust you once had in me. But for now, I'm simply going to return to Sanctuary. Where are we going?"  
  
"The Western Kingdoms. It is time order is restored there. Besides, the Council wants a foothold there."  
  
"Okay. But for now, let's just try to sort things out, okay?"  
  
Kari smiled and kissed Marko. Yes, that would be a good start.  
  
End of Chapter 10  
  
No, this is not the end. This is actually the beta to the actual story, and the main problem was I didn't have enough time to actually write all of it. Trust me, once I actually get the thing fully written, it's a lot better than this. So expect to see all of the chapters removed and me starting over again. It should be more stretched out and detailed.  
  
Z98 


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